Hong Kong MPs demand Tiananmen apology

27 May 2009, 7:44 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Hong Kong lawmakers have demanded that Beijing apologise for suppressing the pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.

Hong Kong lawmakers have demanded that Beijing apologise for suppressing the pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.

They have debated the crackdown in one of the few Chinese cities where it can be openly discussed.

The suppression of the student-led protests, in which at least hundreds were killed, remains a taboo topic on the Chinese mainland and Beijing still considers them a "counter-revolutionary" riot.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu defended the crackdown last week, reiterating the official view that crushing the movement paved the way for China's economic success.

Hong Kong is one of the few places in China where the events of June 1989 are not off-limits because it's a former British colony ruled under a separate political system that promises freedom of speech and other Western-style civil liberties.

On Wednesday, pro-democracy lawmakers tabled a non-binding motion calling for the June 4 incident not to be forgotten and for the movement to be "vindicated".

Like similar motions in the past, the parliamentary resolution is expected to fail because pro-China politicians outnumber their pro-democracy colleagues in the legislature.

"While it's been 20 years since the crackdown, Hong Kongers still feel the same about it. They still think it was a massacre. They still think the Chinese Communist Party needs to be held accountable," said lawmaker Lee Wing-tat.

"You can see how stubborn Hong Kongers are on this issue. It makes me proud to be a Chinese living in Hong Kong," Lee said.

A poll released on Wednesday showed that 69 per cent of Hong Kongers think the crackdown was a mistake and 61 per cent believe the Chinese government should stop condemning the protests. The survey by the University of Hong Kong, based on random telephone interviews with 1,011 people earlier this month, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The crackdown in Beijing is remembered vividly in Hong Kong because it came just years before the then-British territory was due to be handed back to China in 1997, when many were worried about the prospect of authoritarian rule.

The protests drew a massive outpouring of sympathy in the territory and the military action drew widespread outrage.

Hong Kong has seen more heated debate of the Tiananmen protests than usual this year due to the upcoming 20th anniversary. Local media outlets have published and aired special features and programs about the demonstrations.

A group of Hong Kong graphic designers have distributed stickers with the Roman numerals "VIIV", to symbolise the date June 4, which have been pasted on public walls, and have published a comic book on the internet that pays tribute to those killed.

Tens of thousands are expected at an annual candlelight vigil at a major urban park on June 4.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang also sparked a backlash by telling lawmakers in a question-and-answer session earlier this month that most locals appreciate the benefits of China's economic growth since the Tiananmen crackdown.

A Hong Kong independent rock band released a song called Donald Tsang, Please Die, criticising the leader's remarks. Tsang apologised, saying he was wrong to claim that his views reflected those of most Hong Kongers.

Students at a leading Hong Kong university also voted to oust its union president in April over his comments that the crackdown could have been avoided if protesters had dispersed peacefully.

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