Nearly 60,000 people took to the streets of Hong Kong yesterday in a pro-democracy march on the ninth anniversary of the territory's return to Chinese rule, according to march organizers.
Roads were closed for the colorful annual event as a huge crowd holding aloft banners demanding universal suffrage snaked its way across the city center to central government offices.
Police, who usually underestimate turnouts for pro-democracy events, said 19,000 set out on the march but organizers said a total of 58,000 people took part.
PHOTO: AFP
The turnout was clearly greater than the 20,000 to 30,000 who took part last year but a long way short of the 500,000 who attended the first of the July 1 marches in 2003 and 2004.
A rival march organized by pro-China groups yesterday morning also attracted a large turnout with organizers estimating that 50,000 participated, while police put the figure at 40,000.
The pro-democracy march was given added momentum by the presence of former deputy leader Anson Chan (陳方安生), who has been issuing public appeals since last weekend for people to attend.
Chan said the people of Hong Kong are hungry for democracy and Tsang has not done enough to fight for it.
Speaking at the start of yesterday's march, she called on the government to map out a plan of action for democracy, dismissing the idea that people were more interested in prosperity than universal suffrage.
"I am glad the economy has fully recovered and people are obviously feeling very good," Chan said. "But the fact that the economy is now on a strong path doesn't mean that the voice and aspiration for universal suffrage and for democracy is any less.
"I think the two coexist very well. I would say that without democracy, one cannot really have sustained economic growth," she said.
The event celebrating the return to Chinese rule was organized by a coalition of pro-China groups. Crowds watched a show featuring performances by People's Liberation Army troops and pop stars at the Hong Kong Stadium before walking through the city center.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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
RSS