Consumer prices in Hong Kong rose 6.1 percent in June over the same month last year, official figures released Monday indicated.

The rise was mainly due to increases in private-housing rentals, package-tour charges, rice prices and bus fares, said the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government says.

The pick-up in inflationary pressure was mainly due to the sustained surge in food and energy costs as well as the strength of the local economy which exerted greater upward pressures on housing rents and, to a lesser extent, on prices of various goods and services.

The department said the inflation outlook for the rest of the year remains uncertain, due to the volatile international food and energy prices.

The pace of economic expansion in the period ahead will also affect the extent of the domestically generated inflationary pressure.

Nevertheless, the relief measures the HKSAR Chief Executive announced last week and in the 2008-09 Budget will help lower the headline inflation, notably in the latter part of the year, said the department.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2008)