P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Over 400 world-leading surgeons worldwide will gather tomorrow in Hong Kong to attend a prominent international surgery congress, the Sixth Congress of Asian Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, jointly hosted by the Department of Surgery of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Asian Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery (ASHBPS).

The four-day congress is a biennial congress of ASHBPS, and has established itself as a most renowned and popular forum in the Asia Pacific for top surgeons to share their experience and the latest knowledge of the field.

"Diseases of liver, pancreas and biliary tree have been particularly rampant in many Asian countries. Experience exchange is therefore of crucial importance for better understanding of the causes, investigation and treatment of all kinds of disorders of liver, pancreas and biliary tree.  CUHK is much honoured to represent Hong Kong to host this significant scientific meeting together with ASHBPS," said Professor Joseph Lau Wan-yee, Chairman of Department of Surgery of CUHK and the Congress President.

The Honorable Mrs. Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, President of the Legislative Council, Professor Arthur K C Li, Vice Chancellor, CUHK, Dr. Tadahiro Takada, President of ASHBPS and Professor Joseph Lau will officiate at the opening ceremony to take place on Tuesday, 6 February 2001 at 6:00 pm in Meeting Room 201, Level 2, New Extension, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai.  The Congress presents over 30 top-notch speakers from all over the world in a span of four days.  It features five keynote lectures, eight symposium sessions, two panel discussions, eight how-I-do-it video sessions and over 200 free paper presentations.

Founded in 1991, Asian Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery is Asia's only professional organization in its related field, representing hundreds of surgeons, scientists and universities in the region.  Frequent interchange of clinical and scientific knowledge among top surgeons and members of related disciplines is made by holding biennial congress and many different conferences and forums across the region.