e-Cert ambassadors: A souvenir cover featuring popstars Miriam Yeung and Ekin Cheng will be issued on August 9 to commemorate Hongkong Post's offer of a free one-year e-Cert to holders of the new Smart ID Card.

To commemorate Hongkong Post's offer of a free one-year e-Cert to holders of the new Smart ID Card, a souvenir cover featuring popstars Miriam Yeung and Ekin Cheng will be issued on August 9.

Hongkong Post has appointed the duo as e-Cert ambassadors to encourage the adoption of the e-Cert by smart ID cardholders.

The souvenir covers will be on sale at $2 each at 39 philatelic offices from July 26 until August 9. A special postmark will also be introduced on August 9.

Hand-back service for official and privately made covers bearing an indication of the event and a local address will be provided at 39 philatelic offices on that day. The GPO-1 hand stamp and pictorial postmarks will be available for hand-back service at the same time.

The public hall of the Philatelic Bureau will be open from 9am to 1pm on August 9 for date- stamping of covers with the "Philatelic Bureau" pictorial postmark, the GPO-1 postmark and the special postmark.

People who want a free one-year e-Cert on their smart ID cards may obtain them starting August 9 at 20 designated post offices and starting August 18 at the Hongkong Post service counters of the nine Smart ID Card Centres.

They will also receive a free serviced souvenir cover affixed with a $1.40 definitive stamp and cancelled with the special postmark.

More measures to promote e-Cert adoption

The Government said a number of measures have been implemented to promote the adoption of e-Cert.

They include enhancing the certification authorities service of Hongkong Post and introduction of mobile e-Cert services.

With a continuous increase in the adoption of e-Cert, the Government expects that Hongkong Post's certification authorities service will be able to balance its budget in 2006-07.