Tens of thousands of people will hit the streets on July 1 to celebrate the eighth year of Hong Kong's reunification with the motherland and as a show of support for restoring social harmony in the SAR.

They'll participate in pageants in a parade that will cut through the busy downtown section from Hong Kong Stadium in Happy Valley to Southern Playground of Wan Chai from morning to mid-afternoon. Huge crowds are expected to be attracted to the pageants' route to be part of the revelry.

Chairman of the organizing committee Chen Yiu-tong said at a press conference yesterday: "July 1 is a day worth celebrating, for Hong Kong was reunited with the motherland on this day eight years ago that put an end to more than a century of British colonial rule."

"By organizing the parade, we hope to give the public an opportunity to participate in the celebration. It is a moment to rejoice," he said.

The event has been initiated by 19 organizations, including the 300,000-strong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), Hong Kong Overseas Chinese General Association, Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organizations and the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations.

Cheng dismissed allegations that the parade was being organized to undermine a protest march to be held by the opposition on the same day to demand early universal suffrage, a possibility that the country's top legislature had ruled out for the 2007 CE and 2008 LegCo elections.

Civil Human Rights Front has planned to hold a mock referendum in Victoria Park on Friday afternoon and a march to the government headquarters in Central.

Cheng, who's also the FTU president, saw no conflict in the other events to be organized on the day, for Hong Kong was a pluralistic society where people were free to pursue their own interests.

"We're for harmony, and need not fear about political differences. More importantly, we should respect one another," he said.

Likening the differences to coffee and tea, he said: "You may like coffee but I like tea. While I respect your liking for coffee, I'd expect you to respect mine too. By the same token, I'd expect you to respect my political aspiration while I respect yours. This is the way to harmony."

Most people were feeling better than before, with Hong Kong having emerged out of the economic doldrums that had been intensified by the SARS outbreak, he said. It was crucial to bring the people together to maintain the momentum of recovery.

"The parade is not meant to be lavish. On the contrary, it's going to be a reminder of what the people want," he said, referring to slogans like "stability, unity, harmony and development" and "prosperity and stability rely on us, there being no difference between you and me" that would be chanted during the event.

Anyone sharing the cause of reunification and celebration was welcome to join the course, Cheng said. They were still awaiting the response of Chief Executive (CE) Donald Tsang and senior mainland officials in Hong Kong to their invitation to officiate at the event.

Secretary-general of the organizing committee Chung Yam-cheung said at least 20,000 people from 800 community organizations would participate or perform in the parade that starts at 10 am. The last of the pageants is expected to reach the destination before 3 pm.

The parade, led by 20 vintage cars and 10 motorcycles, will set out after a solemn flag hoisting ceremony at the stadium. Holding the national and SAR flags, participants and performers will march in a formation.

Among the highlights are four gigantic dragons; each one needing over 100 people to perform the dragon dance.

"One of the main characteristics of the parade is that it involves a wide spectrum of the society," he said. They include traditional floats of Cheung Chau, water marriages of New Territories, clowns, martial arts and bicycle performances. They will be backed by professional drum players and dancers from Shenzhen and face-changing artistes from Chongqing.

Editor: Yan