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Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa announced yesterday that he has
officially submitted his resignation to Beijing citing health problems.
At a press conference in Hong Kong, Tung, two
years into his second term in office, said he had tendered
his resignation just one hour before
making his decision public.
"My health was obviously not as good as it used to be because of
long-time hard work," said Tung.
Chief Secretary for Administration, Donald Tsang, will take over as
acting chief executive until a new appointment is made later in the year.
Tung will be in Beijing today to attend the third session of the 10th
National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC) until it wraps up tomorrow.
At the news conference, Tung stressed that for the overall interests of
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the nation, he had decided
to submit his resignation .
He expects the central government to consider and accept his request.
Tung stressed that it had been a lifetime pleasure for him to render
service for the nation and Hong Kong in the post of chief executive.
He thanked Hong Kong's citizens for the opportunities they had given
and central government for the trust they placed in him during his term of
office.
Tung, 67, was elected as the first chief executive of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region in December 1996, and re-elected for a
second term in February 2002.
He was inducted as a member of the 10th National Committee of the CPPCC
on February 28, 2005.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2005-03-11 08:34
