**********************************************************
A set of two Postage Prepaid Postcards, Series No. 13 and No. 14, will be issued on Sunday, November 6 to commemorate the Handover Ceremony of the 2009 East Asian Games from Macao to Hong Kong.
The postcard set depicts the major competition venues, with running tracks and swimming pool lanes as the key elements, the Postmaster General, Mr Allan Chiang, said.
¡@¡@¡@¡@
Commenting on the issue of the postcards, Mr Chiang said Hongkong Post was proud that Hong Kong had won the bid to host the East Asian Games in 2009. The East Asian Games have been held only four times previously - in Shanghai, China (1993), Pusan, Korea (1997), Osaka, Japan (2001), and this year in Macao, China (2005). "As a prelude to celebrating the event in 2009, Hongkong Post is pleased to issue this set of postage prepaid postcards on the date of the closing ceremony of the 2005 East Asian Games and the handover of the hosting right from Macao to Hong Kong," Mr Chiang said.
¡@¡@¡@¡@
The postcards are designed by Mr Clement Yick and printed by the Government Logistics Department, and will be sold at a price of $10 per set of two pieces.
¡@¡@¡@¡@
The postcard set will be available for sale at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Airport Post Office from November 6 while stock lasts.
¡@¡@¡@¡@
A hand-back datestamping service will be provided at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Airport Post Office on November 6 for the official postcards and privately-made covers, bearing the first day of issue indication and a local address. A special postmark will also be introduced. This will be available, together with the GPO-1 postmark, the "Philatelic Bureau" pictorial postmark and the philatelic office pictorial postmark, for hand-back datestamping service at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Airport Post Office on that day.
¡@¡@¡@¡@
Further information about the issue can be obtained from Hongkong Post's website at www.hongkongpost.com, at any post office, or by calling the Hongkong Post Philatelic Bureau hotline 2785 5711.
Ends/Monday, October 31, 2005
Issued at HKT 11:33
NNNN
