A commemorative stamp album to mark the fifth anniversary of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) made its debut in the city yesterday.

Divided into six sections with 16 stamps, the set includes the emblem of the SCO, the symbol specially designed for the fifth anniversary of the organization, national flags of each of the six member countries and their well-known tourist spots.

Pictures of nine Chinese popular tourist spots such as the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square and the Lujiazui Financial Zone were also included in the album.

Great penmanship

In a sign of friendship, the Chinese Government presented the heads of SCO members and observers with delicately designed pens.

According to the designer, the peony pattern on the pen contains the Chinese people's blessing for the summit.

Inter-connecting shell-shaped decorations signify the unity and common prosperity of people with different skin colours, languages and social customs.

Safe and secure

Some 40,000 police officers and 20,000 firefighters are working around the clock to ensure the safety of the conference sites, accommodations, transport routes and other areas related to the meetings, according to police authorities in Shanghai.

Police sent safety check notices to all commercial and residential buildings in downtown Shanghai and asked security guards to check the identities of every entrant from June 14 to June 16.

Security departments at major office buildings opening onto People's Square have almost doubled the number of guards at the entrance.

(China Daily 06/16/2006 page2)