‘Tiananmen’ nix
No HK memorial amid Beijing crackdown
HongKongpolicerejected an application Monday by organizersforanannualcandlelightvigilmarkingtheanniversary this week of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, as residents rushedtoapplyforpassports that could allow them to movetotheUnitedKingdom
It would be the first time in 30 years that the vigil, which draws a huge crowd to an outdoor space, is not held in Hong Kong.
The vigil commemorates Beijing’s deadly military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
The decision follows a vote by China’s ceremonial parliament to bypass Hong Kong’sLegislatureandenact national-security legislation forthesemiautonomousterritory. Democracy activists and many legal experts worry that the law could curtail free speech and opposition political activities.
Meanwhile, throngs of people lined up on Monday 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.
“My BNO passport expired in 2004, but at the time I didn’t renew it because I trusted China,” said Peter Chan, 40, who works in asset management and waited in line for more than two hours.
Chan said he was worried about political and security issues in Hong Kong stemming from the national security law as well as a push by the territory’s legislature to enact a bill that would make it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem.
Even though there is rising anti-immigrant and antiAsian sentiment in the UK, “it’s still better than Hong Kong,” he said. “In Hong Kong, you never know what will happen tomorrow.”
The police, in a letter to organizers of the candlelight vigil, said it would violate coronavirus social-distancing rules that ban gatherings of more than eight people.
Organizer 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.