Fourth Asian Youth Day begins in Hong Kong

(28 July 2006) : The fourth Asian Youth Day celebrations began on Friday 28 July in Hong Kong, under the theme – “Youth, Hope of Asian Families”. Similar to the World Youth Days, Asian Youth Days are a gathering of young people, this time from all over Asia. Youth Commissions of Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences have organized the event which will end on 5^th August with a number of spiritual and cultural activities. Thousands of young Asian are participating in the events.

Sirikanya Kulawanichnun from Thailand, who runs the Catholic Youth Commission’s Public Relations Committee, said: “I attended all four AYD events organized so far. The first was held in Thailand in 1999 in Hua Hin district. These events brought me into contact with new friends who I am still in contact with. In 2001, in Taipei, the theme of the second AYD was how youth can be a light for others. We tackled the problem of daily difficulties we meet to live according to the teachings of Jesus. It was important to get to know many youth and to learn to live together and to share capabilities. In Bangalore in India, in 2003, I understood that there is the need to pay attention to ways of improving ourselves. For this fourth WYD, I have the task to describe, to friends of other countries, the Thai culture and our family values,” she said.