Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were forced to stage a silent protest yesterday as the fiercely capitalist territory marked 50 years of communism in China with solemn ceremonies and the first military display here by mainland troops.
Around 20 pro-democracy campaigners had their loudhailers confiscated by police and minor scuffles broke out just minutes before government officials held a flag raising at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, scene of the 1997 hand-over ceremony.
Two police officers were slightly injured in the scuffles.
Activists sat down in a police designated area with their mouths sealed and their hands clamped in cardboard handcuffs.
The head of the protest movement, Leung Kwok-hung, said he deplored the police action.
"What is a protest without a voice?
"We are here to call for an end of one-party rule," he said, adding the group also wanted top officials responsible for the 1989 military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to step down and face trial.
The Hong Kong government ceremony was overseen by Justice Secretary Elsie Leung, with Hong Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa leading a 200-strong delegation to Beijing to attend the lavish celebrations there.
The flag-raising was attended by Hong Kong and mainland officials and watched by hundreds of flag-waving people including students.
Later, the first ever military parades and drills performed outside China by some 600 PLA soldiers -- who are rarely allowed to venture out of their barracks, was held at the near-packed 40,000-seat Hong Kong Stadium for the day's national day celebration highlights.
The soldiers performed precision military drills while others performed martial arts and a military band entertained the crowd during the two-hour show.
The show also featured Hong Kong singing stars including Andy Lau, Alan Tam and Faye Wong.
For tens of thousands of money-crazed Hong Kongers, the Golden Jubilee National Day race card at Shatin, which features a 30 million Hong Kong dollar triple trio jackpot, was what national day celebration was about.
Analysts have said many of Hong Kong's 6.5 million population are unlikely to be swept up in the nationalistic fervor of the 50th anniversary celebrations.
Sonny Lo, a director of the independent Hong Kong Transition Project research group, said: "A lot of people in Hong Kong still want to be identified as Hong Kongers, rather than Chinese."
Lo pointed to a survey in July by his group which found 46 percent of the 850 respondents wanted to be identified as Hong Kong people and 44 percent as Hong Kong British. Only 21 percent considered themselves Chinese and 27 percent thought of themselves as Hong Kong Chinese.
"Economic integration does not mean psychological integration," said Lo.
Hong Kong newspapers greeted the anniversary with praise for China's achievements, but many stated greater democracy on the mainland was the key to future development.
"The challenge now for the leadership is to build on these achievements and prove that it can win a popular mandate through the ballot box," the South China Morning Post said.
"The Communist Party's best chance of surviving in power is to move slowly but steadily towards free elections," it added.
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