Operation UNITE entered phase three today, with activites aimed at boosting local and international confidence in Hong Kong's relaunch.

To revive business confidence in Hong Kong, a "Business After SARS" Joint Community Conference was held in the afternoon. Prominent figures from the business sector spoke at the forum.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa said the SARS outbreak had dealt a devastating blow to the economy and he expected to see sharp falls in the GDP growth figures in the second and third quarters.

He said the Government had launched a package of measures worth about $11.8 billion in April to provide support for affected sectors.

With the SARS outbreak coming under control and the lifting of the travel advisories by the World Health Organisation, the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and other countries, Hong Kong is beginning to see recovery which is expected to gather momentum.

He said the weakening of the US dollar will benefit our exports and re-exports, and help lower foreign companies' cost of doing business in Hong Kong.

Mr Tung said although Hong Kong has successfully brought the SARS epidemic under control, its immediate task is to eradicate any new SARS cases so that Hong Kong can be removed from the WHO's list of SARS infected areas and give additional confidence to visitors and the local community. 

He expressed confidence in Hong Kong's ability to bounce back.

He also paid tribute to the commitment, professionalism and courage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

"Real heroes are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. From the bottom of my heart I say to all our healthcare workers, you are the real heroes of our community; we are proud of you."

Business titans discuss Hong Kong's advantages

The Conference featured a plenary on "Hong Kong, Still the Premier Business Centre".  Speakers included PCCW Chairman Richard Li; Standard Chartered Bank Director Peter Wong; Johnson Electric Chairman Patrick Wang; John Swire & Sons (HK) Chairman James Hughes-Hallett; and Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Chairman and CEO Alasdair Morrison.

The second part of the Conference centred on a discussion of "The Hong Kong Spirit at Work".  Participants included Crown Worldwide Holdings Chairman James Thompson; G2000 Chairman Michael Tien; Global Sources Chairman and CEO Merle Hinrichs; Esquel Group of Companies Chairman and CEO Marjorie Yang; and Legend Group Senior Vice President and CFO Mary Ma.

TV fundraiser to be day's highlight

The highlight of the day's programme is an evening fundraising TV show featuring performances by renowned artistes. The show will be broadcast live by TVB, ATV and Cable TV, and fed to video walls in a few major shopping arcades. The show will also be broadcast in the Mainland.