Police block bid to hold annual Tiananmen vigil

HONG Kong police rejected an application for an annual candlelight vigil marking the anniversary this week of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

It came as residents rushed to apply for passports that could allow them to move to the United Kingdom.

It would be the first time in 30 years that the candlelight vigil, which draws a huge crowd to an outdoor space, is not held in Hong Kong. The event marks the deadly military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4 1989.

The police, in a letter to organisers, said it would violate coronavirus social distancing rules that ban gatherings of more than eight people.

Organiser Lee Cheuk-yan, chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, expressed disappointment and urged people to light candles individually and observe a moment of silence.

Amnesty International said authorities should facilitate a socially distanced vigil rather than ban it. “Covid-19 must not be used as an excuse to stifle freedom of expression,” said Joshua Rosenzweig, the group’s deputy director for east and south-east Asia.

Meanwhile, throngs of people lined up at DHL courier outlets across the city, many to send documents to the UK to apply for or renew what is known as a British National (Overseas) passport.

Peter Chan, a 40-year-old, who works in asset management and waited in line for more than two hours said he was worried about political and security issues in Hong Kong stemming from an upcoming national security law.