The brutal June 4, 1989 quelling of pro-democracy protests is seen as one of the most important incidents in contemporary Chinese history, but students say their families will not discuss the issue at home.

School is the only place they look to in order to understand more about the democratic movement on the mainland.

Secondary six student Yung Tsz-leung was shocked when he learned about the crackdown soon after enrolling in Christ College in Sha Tin five years ago. The school organizes memorial activities every year and teaches about the incident in history and civic education classes.

``I did not know about it. I was angered when I heard about it as the Chinese government was trying to hide the truth,'' said Yung. ``It seems ironic the Chinese government is asking other countries to respect history, but it is not doing the same.''

Schoolmate Yu Man-sang was also angered she had been kept in the dark. She said schools have a responsibility to discuss the incident with students.

``The authorities are giving a distorted picture. Students will not be able to think critically should we just believe in authority without further discussing it,'' she said.

While some in the community stress the importance of moving on from the massacre for social stability, a small group of schools and activists insist students must be allowed to discuss it.

The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, Hong Kong Christian Institute and Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Diocese have invited 400 schools for June 4 memorial activities. They said 13 schools have accepted, compared with only six last year.

``A teacher told me the political atmosphere of the community is constantly changing and there is more stress on social harmony,'' said Hong Kong Christian Institute project assistant Debby Chan. ``The teacher fears schools will not be allowed to host similar activities in the future and thinks this is the last chance.''

Some in Hong Kong believe discussing June 4 creates tension in the community, and most history textbooks give only a brief account of the incident.

Christ College principal Wong Hung-lun agreed schools have a responsibility to teach students to understand history.

``I think letting students discuss major historical events is part of the education process, and schools must fulfill that function,'' he said.

Wong's school has displayed books related to the massacre and invited former legislator Cyd Ho to give talks.

Chinese history textbook writer Chan Hon-sum dedicated 2,000 words to the crackdown. Schools face ``invisible pressure'' when dealing with controversies, he said.

The education sector is facing a lot of uncertainty, said Chan, such as a declining student population that is leading to more schools closing.

``Schools fear that they might be in danger, or might be closed, if they are connected with controversies. There is no one saying schools will be threatened, but they just feel the pressure,'' he said, adding

schools are reluctant to take sides.

``People are stressing the importance of `social harmony,' and schools may be blamed for triggering conflict if they express their political views,'' he said.

Chan expects the number of schools holding memorial activities for June 4 will decrease in coming years.

Meanwhile, a group of university students marched from Wan Chai to the Central Liaison Office in Sheung Wan to commemorate the crackdown.

Spokeswoman Tse Fuk-wing said the group wanted Hong Kong people to be more aware of society's problems both at home and on the mainland.

teddy.ng@singtaonewscorp.com