Hong Kong's best-known activist protested yesterday against Bei-jing's Tiananmen Square "murderers" then used his new status as legislator-elect to carry his message about the 1989 crackdown right inside an official reception for China's national day.
"Long live democracy," Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄) shouted inside a civic center packed with Hong Kong and mainland dignitaries who were solemnly marking the 55th anniversary of the People's Repu-blic of China.
PHOTO: AFP
Decked out in a T-shirt and torn headband scrawled with political slogans, Leung wasn't able to get close enough to Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), or Beijing's top local representa-tive, Gao Siren (高祀仁), to speak with them.
But Leung, who is known as "Longhair," did his best to attract their attention by yelling -- creating a spectacle that showed up on Hong Kong television. Leung told reporters that he sang China's national anthem along with the crowd and that the leaders on the podium "all gave me a very funny look."
Hong Kong has enjoyed guaran-teed free-speech rights since Britain returned its former colony to China in July 1997, but Leung's appearance inside the National Day event pushed dissent here to a colorful new level.
Leung started out yesterday as he always does during official commemorations, parading through the streets and chanting, with about two dozen supporters who carried banners and a mock coffin to demand an end to China's "one-party dictatorship."
"Give power back to the people, then the whole nation will celebrate," Leung said.
After police stopped the activists a short distance from a flag-raising ceremony, Leung voiced his complaints about the system, then pulled out his official invitation to the reception and was allowed to proceed, thronged by dozens of journalists.
Leung's main point was that Beijing should atone for the deadly crackdown on student activists when it used troops to break up the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement on June 4, 1989. Hun-dreds if not thousands were killed.
"We condemn those mur-derers," Leung said. "They should go to trial. Give justice to the Chinese people, to those who sacrificed their lives for democracy."
Hong Kong's new legislators-elect will be sworn in this Wednesday, though Leung is still quibbling over the required oath of office.
Political analysts call his stunning election the result of massive public discontent. Hong Kong people have been demanding full democracy but Beijing angered them in April by ruling that ordinary voters cannot choose Hong Kong's next leader in 2007 or all lawmakers in 2008.
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