State funeral for Hong Kong’s first leader Tung Chee-hwa set for September 20

The state funeral for the city’s first chief executive, the late Tung Chee-hwa, is scheduled for next Sunday, the South China Morning Post has learned.

A source confirmed on Saturday that the funeral would take place on September 20, with details being arranged. State leaders and central government officials are expected to join the funeral committee, following previous practice.

The SCMP reported earlier that a state funeral would be accorded to Tung to honour his legacy as a deputy national-level leader and his contributions to the “one country, two systems” governing framework.

“Preparations were under way,” and were being coordinated by the city government after Tung’s death on Tuesday at the age of 89, a separate source told SCMP previously.

The government’s Administration Wing said on Thursday that it would announce relevant arrangements in due course.

Since the 1997 handover, only two prominent local figures have been granted state funerals: industrialist Ann Tse-kai in 2000 and tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung in 2006. Both held the rank of vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a position that Tung also held.