UNCLASSIFIED
127420 MDLIAN 3778
4. SUPPORT ACTIONS WERE ALSO TAKEN BY 300 PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES IN THE FORM A ''DRIVE-SLOW'' FROM KOWLOON TO THE NCNA HEADQUARTERS ON HK ISLAND AND A PROTEST MARCH AND RALLY STAGED BY SOME 10,000 SHAM SHUI PO RESIDENTS OUTSIDE THE NCNA KOWLOON OFFICE, CALLING FOR THE LIFTING OF THE CURFEW ORDER AND EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE PEKING STUDENTS.
ADVERTISEMENTS
5. MORE THAN 200 ADVERTISEMENTS, MANY OF THEM FULL-PAGE OR HALF-PAGE, APPEARED IN THE PAPERS, CALLING ON THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES NOT TO USE FORCE TO SUPPRESS THE STUDENT MOVEMENT. MANY ALSO CALLED ON LI PENG TO STEP DOWN. ONE OF THEM WAS AN ADVERTISEMENT PLACED BY A GROUP OF 57 CPPCC HK DELEGATES IN MAJOR PAPERS SAYING THAT FORCE SHOULD NOT BE USED TO SUPPRESS THE STUDENTS, THAT THE CURFEW SHOULD BE LIFTED, THAT AN EFFECTIVE DIALOGUE SHOULD BE CONDUCTED WITH THE STUDENTS AND THAT THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE SHOULD HOLD AN URGENT MEETING. OTHER ADVERTISEMENTS WERE PLACED BY VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING SOME CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS.
COMMENTARIES
6. MOST COMMENTARIES NOTED THAT THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN PEKING REMAINED UNCERTAIN. SOME PAPERS, LIKE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL AND HK ECONOMIC TIMES, BELIEVED THAT HK PEOPLE WOULD LIKE ZHAO ZIYANG TO BE BACK IN POWER BECAUSE HE SYMBOLISED THE OPEN-DOOR POLICY AND REFORM. THE EXPRESS SAID THAT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR HK TO HAVE A STABLE SITUATION BEFORE IT COULD RENDER ASSISTANCE TO THE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN THE MAINLAND. WAH KIU CONTINUED TO ASK LOCAL PEOPLE TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT. CHING PO SAID THE NEWS BLACKOUT WOULD DAMAGE CHINA'S IMAGE. TA KUNG PAO SAID RECENT EVENTS SHOWED THE MILITARY DEPLOYMENT WAS NOT AIMED AT THE STUDENTS, AND THAT THEY INDICATED A POLITICAL STRUGGLE: BUT STRESSED THAT THOSE WHO IGNORED HIS WISHES OF THE MASSES WOULD LOSE.
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