Tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong on Wednesday to remember the dead on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the only major commemoration in China as authorities clamped tight security on Beijing.
The White House called for China's government to account for those killed, detained or missing after the June 1989 assault on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing, which remains taboo in the Communist nation.
"Vindicate 6/4!" the huge crowds shouted, turning Hong Kong's Victoria Park into a sea of twinkling lights as their candlelit vigil began.
Organisers said a record 180,000 attended the annual vigil, while police put the estimate at 99,500, a significantly higher number than last year's police estimate of 54,000.
Candles were raised and the names of the Tiananmen dead were read out over loudspeakers and people bowed to pay their respects as footage of the clampdown was shown on large screens.
"This event must be instilled in everyone's heart. We can't let time dilute this," said 19-year-old student Anna Lau.
"Let Xi Jinping see the lights of the candles," chief organiser Lee Cheuk-Yan told the crowd, referring to the Chinese president.
"In Hong Kong, we will keep fighting until the end."
Hundreds of unarmed civilians, and by some estimates, more than 1000, were killed in Beijing on June 3-4, 1989, when soldiers on foot and in tanks crushed peaceful student-led protests demanding democratic reforms.
In the Taiwanese capital Taipei, exiled Chinese dissidents and witnesses to the crackdown addressed a crowd of about 500.
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou released a statement describing the events of 25 years ago as an "enormous historical wound".
He called on Beijing to "speedily redress the wrongs to ensure that such a tragedy will never happen again".
Likewise, the United States said it will continue to "urge the Chinese government to guarantee the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that are the birthright of all Chinese citizens".
Beijing reacted angrily to the White House statement, accusing Washington of a "total disregard of fact".
"It blames the Chinese government for no reason, gravely interferes in China's internal affairs and violates the basic norms guiding international relations," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.
In rare political comments, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, issued a statement urging Beijing to embrace democracy as he offered his prayers to the Tiananmen dead.
China has worked hard to erase public memories of the bloodshed, censoring any mention from social networks and detaining scores of activists, lawyers, artists and victims' relatives in recent weeks.
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