Hong Kong police are preparing a major security operation for the state funeral of the city’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, with senior officials from Beijing among those expected to attend.
Police will establish a command centre at their headquarters in Wan Chai, while officers are expected to be deployed along the route of the funeral procession from the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point to the Cape Collinson Crematorium in Chai Wan, according to sources cited by the South China Morning Post.
The security arrangements will also include protection for three senior Beijing officials expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Saturday: Shi Taifeng, Wang Dongfeng and Xia Baolong. Shi, a member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo, is heading the 87-member committee organising Tung’s state funeral.
The funeral arrangements have been modified because of venue limitations. An originally planned public memorial service will now be invitation-only, according to the Office of Former Chief Executives.
A vigil will be held from 3pm to 10pm on Saturday at the Hong Kong Funeral Home. The memorial service is scheduled to begin at 9am on Sunday, followed by the funeral procession.
Tung died on September 8 at the age of 89. He served as Hong Kong’s first chief executive after the 1997 handover and later became a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was granted a state funeral in recognition of his service and contributions to the “one country, two systems” framework.
The Hong Kong government has also arranged public condolence points where residents can sign books in Tung’s memory from September 18 to 20.
