China appoints senior Politburo member to oversee Hong Kong's first state funeral

A Politburo member will oversee Hong Kong's first state funeral for a chief executive, with Shi Taifeng heading an 87-strong committee responsible for the final rites of Tung Chee-hwa.

Shi, who serves as the first vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will lead the funeral committee comprising political and business heavyweights, according to details published in the South China Morning Post.

Funeral arrangements announced

The vigil for Tung will take place from 3pm to 10pm at the Hong Kong Funeral Home in North Point, with a public memorial service scheduled to begin at 9am the following day.

The timing was announced in an obituary placed by Tung's family in the South China Morning Post.

Instead of floral tributes, the family has requested that mourners make donations to charities of their choice.

The appointment of Shi, a Politburo member and the top vice-chairman of the CPPCC, to head the funeral committee underscores the significance Beijing is attaching to Tung's state funeral. Tung served as Hong Kong's first chief executive following the 1997 handover.

Details of the state funeral were published in an advertisement in the South China Morning Post.

Source: South China Morning Post