With national and regional flags of various local government departments and public schools flown at half mast Monday morning, the Macao Special Administration Region (SAR) joins China's three-day nationwide mourning for the quake victims.
In addition to the local government and school buildings, the Chinese national flags and the Macao SAR flags were also lowered to half mast at the Golden Lotus Square, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR, the Office of the Commissioner of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao SAR, and the base of PLA (People's Liberation Army) Garrison in Macao SAR.
Many people, including some tourists, gathered at the Golden Lotus Square and watched the ceremony under a cloudy sky Monday morning. A tourists from Japan said at the square that she felt " deeply sorry" for the victims.
Residents of the city are asked to stand in silence for three minutes and all vehicles and ships are requested to sound their horns for mourning from 2:28 p.m., the exact time a week ago when the quake occurred, according to a brief statement from the SAR government.
Meanwhile, all public amusements are required to be suspended during the three-day mourning day for the victims of Sichuan earthquake, the government said in the statement.
(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2008)