Peter Tsao Kwang-yung, CBE (1989)

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

(Chinese

Traditional Chinese character

Traditional Chinese characters refers to Chinese characters in any character set which does not contain newly created characters or character substitutions performed after 1946. It most commonly refers to characters in the standardized character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong, or in the Kangxi...

: 曹廣榮; born October 7, 1933, Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 - died June 6, 2005, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

) was a career civil servant of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. Tsao was Secretary for Administrative Services and Information (行政司) and Secretary for Home Affairs (政務司) of colonial Hong Kong Government from 1985 to 1991. He was the first ethnic Chinese person to be in a secretary-level position during colonial administration. He was described as "Bad Boy Tsao" in headlines in 1986 when he was posted to Brussels as representative for Hong Kong trade relations with the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

.

In 1950 he emigrated to Hong Kong where he was educated at St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong

St. Joseph's College, Hong Kong

Established in 1875, St. Joseph's College is the oldest Catholic boys' secondary school in Hong Kong. It is located at 7 Kennedy Road, Mid-levels, in the Central and Western District...

. In 1955 he began working at the Royal Observatory

Hong Kong Observatory

Hong Kong Observatory is a department of the Hong Kong government. The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards...

 as computing officer (grade III). He later worked as hygiene officer and assistant trade officer at the government. In 1991 he retired. In 2005, he died in Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, aged 71.

Later positions

• 1979 - Director of Trade, Industry and Customs
• 1981 - Director of Industry
• 1983 - Director of Information Services
• 1986 - Representative to Brussels
• 1986 - Secretary for Administrative Services and Information
• 1990 - Secretary for Home Affairs (4th ranked)