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If numbers are anything to go by, local interest
in the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protest in Beijing, which was crushed June
4, appears to be diminishing.
Only 1,400 people turned up for Sunday's rally to commemorate the incident - the
lowest attendance for the past 16 years.
But Szeto Wah, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic
Democratic Movements in China, was not disappointed, insisting that
Hong Kong residents are not losing interest in the event.
The theme of this year's rally was ``Learn from history, rehabilitate June
4th.'' Protesters started their two-hour march at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay
at 3.15pm, shouting ``Build a democratic China'' and ``End one-party rule'' on
their way to the SAR government headquarters.
The alliance said the turnout represented a 75 percent drop from last year's
anniversary demonstration, which saw 5,600 take to the streets.
Police said only 1,000 people took part in Sunday's march.
But Szeto said he was not frustrated by the lukewarm response, saying people's
desire for a vindication of the June 4 incident is not diminishing.
``I told my colleagues in November last year that I expected the number of
participants at this year's rally to drop a lot,'' he said.
michael.ng@singtaonewscorp.com
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