Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Hong Kong yesterday, demanding the full democracy that was promised when Britain handed its crown-jewel colony back to China eight years ago.
Frustrated with the limited reforms proposed by the city's Beijing-appointed leader, Chief Executive Donald Tsang (
Organizers said on about 250,000 people, with many clad in black, took part in the march -- much higher than analysts' estimate of between 50,000 to 100,000. But police said they counted only 40,000 people when the march began in Hong Kong's Victoria Park.
PHOTO: EPA
The protesters, urged to dress in black for the event, chanted slogans as they left the park, brandishing banners denouncing an unpopular government bill to change the city's electoral system.
At the head of the procession marchers carried a huge black banner emblazoned with the protest's birdcage emblem, a symbol of the political constraints activists feel the city endures.
Tsang's proposals would double the size of the 800-strong committee of Beijing-backed elites that chooses the city's chief executive, and would also enlarge the 60-seat legislature.
But democrats say the proposals do not go far enough, and would amount to a step backward for the full democracy spelled out under the Hong Kong constitution, known as the Basic Law.
The provision gives no timeline for when it might be achieved. Democrats in the parliament, known as the Legislative Council, say they will veto the legislation unless Tsang offers a timetable for democratic reform.
"This is make-or-break time," said the pro-democracy movement's veteran leader Martin Lee (
"The governments [of Hong Kong and China] in the past week have done everything they can to keep the numbers down," Lee said.
A massive turnout could weaken Tsang's political base and rattle Communist Party leaders in China, who fear reform here might weaken the city's economy and spark calls from change on the mainland.
More than half a million people flooded the streets of Hong Kong in July 2003, forcing the withdrawal of an unpopular anti-subversion law proposal and contributing to the resignation of former leader Tung Chee-hwa this past March.
Among the marchers yesterday was political heavyweight Anson Chan (陳方安生), the former deputy leader who even in retirement remains hugely popular.
"I feel there's a need to fight for democracy," Chan said, sharing her political thoughts with reporters for the first time.
"Everyone has a right to protest," she added, denying her decision to go public was a precursor to launching a new career in politics.
Before yesterday's march kicked off, local Catholic leader Bishop Joseph Zen (陳日君) led a prayer service during which he called on Hong Kong to heed the call for democracy.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS