Thousands mark in Hong Kong the 22nd anniversary of Tiananmen Square

[News_Editor]

Thousands mark in Hong Kong the 22nd anniversary of Tiananmen Square

2011-06-05 01:35:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

HONG KONG (BNO NEWS) -- Tens of thousands of people on Saturday attended a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to mark the 22nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing, Radio Television Hong Kong reported.

According to organizers, 150,000 people attended the vigil to remember those who lost their lives 22 years ago. Participants wore black as a sign of mourning, held up candles and sang solemn songs.

"I am here with a heavy heart, it is very emotional for me," Gladys Liu, a 48-year-old mother-of-two said. "I still remember the scenes - how the army tanks were sent in to break up the student-led protests. I was following the news closely, I never thought it would turn so violent."

The government sent in tanks and soldiers to clear Beijing's Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4, 1989, following six weeks of pro-democracy protests. An official verdict after the protests called them a "counter-revolutionary rebellion" although the wording has since been softened.

Earlier on Saturday, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou urged China to release political dissidents in a statement marking the 22nd anniversary of the military crackdown on protesters. He said mainland China's economy has been growing rapidly for more than 20 years and surpassed Japan last year to become the second largest economy in the world. But he said that its record in the areas of democracy and human rights "stands in stark contrast."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-05

[sabye]

I was in Hong Kong when Tiananmen happened and it was quite a worrying time. We didn't know if the communists would come over the border and take over Hong Kong at that time. Rip to all of the demonstrators that died and I hope that now that China is becoming more open that they will improve their human rights record.

[Scott]

I was also living in Hong Kong at the time. I had just arrived in the colony. The events are still very real in my mind.