Hundreds marched through Hong Kong on Sunday ahead of the 29th anniversary of China’s crackdown on democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Semi-autonomous Hong Kong is the only place on Chinese soil where the anniversary is openly marked with a famous vigil in Victoria Park on June 4 each year. The march is an annual precursor to the main event.
Organized by a group of veteran democracy activists, protesters demanded justice for the victims of the crackdown and also urged the Chinese government to release Liu Xia (劉霞), widow of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), who continues to be under house arrest since her husband’s death in custody last year.
Photo: AFP
Protesters shouted “Accountability for the massacre! End one-party dictatorship,” and held banners reading: “Mourn June 4, Resist Authoritarianism” as they walked from the business district of Wan Chai to Beijing’s liaison office in the territory.
The disqualification of pro-democracy lawmakers from the legislative council and the banning of some activists from standing for office has heightened concern that Hong Kong’s cherished freedoms are being steadily eroded by Beijing.
Pro-Beijing figures have said that calling for an end to a one-party dictatorship is “illegal” and that anyone who does so could run the risk of being disqualified from running for election.
“This is our freedom, our right, and also our belief. We do not hesitate to continue saying our slogan,” said Albert Ho (何俊仁), chairman of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organized the march.
“We believe that only by ending the one-party dictatorship can we build a democratic China,” he added.
Ho said that about 1,100 people attended the protest.
Residents said that they were marching to ensure that the bloody crackdown was not forgotten.
“If nobody talks about it, the next generation will never know about this history,” said a woman who gave her name as Mrs Ho and attended the protest with her son.
“The Chinese Communist Party will not listen to citizens and people’s voices. Although I was not born at that time, I heard my parents talk about it and I knew that Hong Kong people went on the streets ... to fight for their democracy and rights,” added another protester who gave his name as Kelvin.
However, the turnout figures for the march and vigil have dropped in recent years as many young Hong Kongers are frustrated by the lack of progress on political reform in the territory.
They disagree with the vigil’s main message of democratization in China, saying that the focus should be on Hong Kong, not the mainland.
Student unions will not attend the longstanding vigil in Victoria Park this year and have boycotted it for the past three years.
Hundreds — by some estimates more than a thousand — died after the Chinese Communist Party sent tanks to crush demonstrations in the square in the heart of Beijing on June 4, 1989, where student-led protesters had staged a peaceful seven-week sit-in to demand democratic reforms.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
RSS