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.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RSS