Kevin Sinclair

Four students from three universities have won a two-week trip to Egypt to help counter negative publicity about the Middle East following the US terror attacks.

The aim is to show the realities of modern life in his country to Hong Kong students, Egyptian Consul-General Aly Galal Bassiouny said.

"There are too many misconceptions about the Middle East," he added. "Hopefully, when the group returns we will be able to organise a seminar or round-table discussion at one of their universities where the four will be able to tell us what they saw."

The four are winners of an essay competition organised by Gulf Air, sponsors of the trip together with the Egyptian Ministry of Youth. Contestants had to write a 500-word essay explaining what they knew about the Middle East and how they believed Hong Kong people could better understand the region.

Suggestions in the essays ranged from staging food festivals in Hong Kong, promoting knowledge of tourist icons such as the Pyramids and Sphinx and organising film and cultural shows.

The four winners are Carrie Lau Ho-yi, 19, a major in government at the Department of Social Sciences, Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong; Ada Ma Kar-ling, 22, who is studying accounting and finance at the Department of Accounting, University of Science and Technology (HKUST); Lai Wing-y, 19, an economics and finance major at HKUST's School of Business and Management and Stella Tsoi Siui-ching, 20, of the Department of Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management at the Polytechnic University, where she is studying tourism management.

Mr Bassiouny told the group that in Egypt they would see aspects of a culture and civilisation as old as China. The Ministry of Youth has arranged a two-week itinerary for the visitors which will include trips on the Nile and visits to ancient sites such as Luxor and to the Aswan Dam. They will meet students and go to some of Egypt's leading universities, as well as museums, theatres and concerts.