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Police are well prepared to ensure the smooth proceeding of the 14th General Meeting of the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council (PECC) at the end of this month.

The PECC meeting will be held between November 28 and 30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) Phase II in Wan Chai. Number of participants are expected to be around 800 to 1 000.

"Police are well aware of the importance of this event. The successful hosting of this international event will help raise the international profile of Hong Kong," a Police spokesman said.

Access control will be implemented by the organisers in certain parts of the HKCEC during the event. Only person with an accreditation pass will be allowed to enter the premises.

At this stage, there are no plans to implement any road closures or traffic diversions in the area of the HKCEC over the period of PECC but it is anticipated that the pedestrian and vehicular flow in Wan Chai North will inevitably be heavy.

"Police encourage drivers and pedestrians to be patient and to follow the directions given by Police officers and to use public transport if they need to go to the area," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a show namely "Disney on Ice" will be held at Hall 3 of Level 7 of HKCEC Phase II commencing on the evening of November 29.

There will be a separate route for spectators to this event in order to keep inconvenience to members of the public to a minimum.

Regarding the possible holding of public order events in the vicinity of the meeting venue, the spokesman said that Police would facilitate as far as possible all peaceful public order events.

"However, it is also the Police's statutory duty to preserve public safety and order, and to regulate these public order events to strike a balance between the rights of the participants to express their views freely and the need to ensure that no danger or inconvenience is caused to others," the spokesman said.

"To this end, a suitable area for protestors to demonstrate has been identified underneath the Atrium Link One at Convention Avenue.

"An enhanced Police presence will be arranged throughout the event to ensure its smooth proceeding," the spokesman added.

Police Report No. 4

Issued by PPRB

End/1730 hours, Friday, November 23, 2001

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