The government's handling of the Manila hostage crisis ranked No 1 in the Vote for Hong Kong Government's Ten Most Significant Events in 2010.

The vote, organized by 25 local media agencies, including China Daily, and 62 associations, received 128,977 votes from 121 secondary schools and 10 universities in the city. Among them, more than half the votes (65,281) went to the Manila hostage crisis that saw eight Hong Kong tourists shot dead and seven wounded in a tour bus seized by corrupt ex-Manila policeman Rolando Mendoza on Aug 23, 2010, the organizers announced Wednesday.

"The government took prompt and effective measures after the tragedy, which the Hong Kong people highly appreciated," Cheung Kin-wah, representative of the event's secretariat and executive editor-in-chief of Wen Wei Po, said at the announcement ceremony.

The establishment of the city's first minimum wage law (58,603 votes) and the law enforcement on personal privacy (52,561 votes) came second and third in the vote.

Organizers said the voting revealed that citizens were concerned most about issues that affect their quality of life. Approved in July 2010 after a long-running debate, the minimum wage finally was set at HK$28. The law has "far-reaching impact" on the city's labor group, organizers said.

Multiple government measures to cool down the property market in the second half of 2010 also made the list as the public have been voicing much anxiety over ever-rising housing prices. The government said it would try to curtail the affects of speculators by raising property transaction stamp duties and tightening down payment ratios for mortgage loan applications in November 2010.

Meanwhile, citizens showed enthusiasm for events that raised the city's international image. The government's proposal to bid for the 2023 Asian Games, even though vetoed by the Legislative Council last week, still ranked No 4 on the top ten list. One place behind was the exhibition of the animated version of the Along the River during the Qingming Festival at the AsiaWorld Expo.

The passage of the political reform packages, after rounds of rallying and compromising, was the only political news among the top ten events. Chief Executive Donald Tsang said it was "a milestone in the city's democratic development" on June 26, 2010, the day the packages were passed.

The reform package suggests the number of members of the Election Committee for the Chief Executive be increased from 800 to 1,200, and the current nomination threshold, at the ratio of one-eighth of the total membership of the committee, be maintained.

Regarding the method of forming the Legislative Council, the number of seats should be increased from 60 to 70. Of the 10 new seats, five will go to geographical constituencies through direct elections while the other five to functional constituencies.

The Nutrition Labeling Scheme, one-year buffering period for schools that have difficulty filling up their classrooms and lowered auction requirements for old buildings all made the top ten list of events.

The ten most significant events were selected among 20 candidates.

Thirty two participants in the vote, selected from a lucky draw Wednesday, are going to be awarded prizes. The awarding ceremony will be held on Feb 14 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

China Daily

(HK Edition 01/20/2011 page1)