Hong Kong  - Three prominent Britons living in Hong Kong were Saturday made Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

The awards went to businessman and pro-democracy activist Dr George Cautherley, B&Q Asia chief executive Steve Gilman and anti-tobacco campaigner Dr Judith Mackay.

Two more Britons - broadcaster Jonathan Douglas and corporate social responsibility campaigner Shalini Mahtani - were made members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Hong Kong was a British colony for 156 years before reverting to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and remains home to around 25,000 expatriate Britons.

Reacting to the awards, British Consul-General Andrew Seaton said: "I am delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has decided to honour so many Hong Kong residents in this year's Birthday Honours list.

"All of them are enormously deserving of such recognition for their valuable work in a range of areas." (dpa)