Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Bouangeun Saphouvong said 
the installation of the clock would be a spectacular event and would 
also include the official presentation of 100 Miss SEA Games 
representatives to the public. 

“We have already set up a committee to organise the event. The start 
of the countdown will be one of the biggest events ever staged at 
Patuxay,” he said. 

Several songs composed especially for the SEA Games will also be 
introduced to the public for the first time on New Year's Eve. 

Mr Bouangeun said popular older and younger singers would be invited 
to take part in the celebrations. 
Members of the public and VIP guests can reserve tables at the event, 
which will feature a variety of entertainment shows and activities. 
Mascots and SEA Games souvenirs will be on sale during the evening. 

More than 180 women applied to be Miss SEA Games, and the committee 
has chosen 100 of them to participate in the games next year. They 
will be trained how to interact with and greet guests politely, walk 
elegantly, speak English, and acquire general knowledge in preparation 
for the event. 

Eleven country placard bearers will be selected from the 100 
representatives to take part in the stadium parade that precedes the 
games. 

After the countdown clock is installed, fireworks will light up the 
sky to mark the occasion and bring in the New Year. 

By Vientiane Times 
(Latest Update November 20, 2008)