1.   And they are expressing their unease by electing the same people that Beijing exiled when it dissolved the original legislature and replaced it with a provisional body.

2.   Another provisional body member from Legco, Howard Young, said members should concentrate on legislation such as right of abode and nationality.

3.   Before the handover, the provisional body will probably hold its meetings across the border.

4.   A handful of pro-democracy activists, led by Democratic Party Chairman Martin Lee, protested the provisional body.

5.   China plans, for instance, to replace the elected Legco with a provisional body appointed by a panel that serves Beijing.

6.   In an interview released on Tuesday, Mr Patten said the main aim of the provisional body was to reduce the number of democrats in the legislature.

7.   The new legislature will replace a provisional body, which Beijing installed moments after the hand-over and which was widely perceived as a rubber stamp.

8.   A Beijing-selected committee making preparations for the transfer voted Sunday to replace the Legislative Council with a provisional body of appointees.

9.   A Beijing-appointed committee handling preparations for the hand-over of sovereignty voted overwhelmingly Sunday to replace the Legislative Council with a provisional body.

10.   A handful of demonstrators gathered outside the legislative council building to release balloons to celebrate the end of the provisional body, which ceased work Wednesday.