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Tiananmen Square vigil held in Victoria Park, Hong Kong

by amyjudd | June 4, 2009 at 10:44 am

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A Tiananmen Square vigil has been held in Hong Kong, the only part of China to commemorate the event that happened 20 years ago today.

About 150,000 people assembled in Victoria Park for the event, at which one of the 1989 student leaders, Xiong Yan, gave a speech.

No other Tiananmen veterans were allowed entry to the vigil, but in Washington, nine exiled student leaders spoke about their desire for a democratic China.

"We are calling on the generation of the 1989 massacre, both in China and overseas, as well as those who came before us and those who will come after us to work together and combine our strengths," the nine said in a joint statement read out by Wang Dan, one of China's most wanted men.

Tiananmen Square in Beijing has been sealed off and foreign journalists have been barred.
China has also rejected a call from the US to take responsibility for the two decade old event. Open discussion about what happened is forbidden.

In Hong Kong however, people have the right to protest, and this turnout was the biggest ever for a Tiananmen anniversary. BBC correspondent John Simpson was there.

If the Beijing government hoped that by clamping down on all commemoration in mainland China, they could make people forget what happened, they were very wrong, our correspondent says.

On the contrary, it has underlined the lack of political freedom that there still is in China.

Exile Xiong Yan was the star of the vigil today and he spoke out about what he wants to see happen.

"Our hearts are hurting but we have a dream that in the not too distant future China's once party, authoritarian leadership will leave the stage," he told the rally.

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Pythiian1

at 17:37 on June 4th, 2009

Apparently, the Chinese authority also stopped any reporters from going near the cemetery where the relatives were paying respect to the Tiananmen victims.

TyphoonHunter

at 21:41 on June 4th, 2009

I attended the vigil last night and it was a beautiful scene and so great to see so many young people there. Organisers are claiming up to 150,000 people attended.