CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 061/1
08 JUL 1991
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
!
SK OFFICEK
INDEX
PA
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 1810
OF 051225Z JUNE 91
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
117141
MDHIAN 9803
TOP COPY Q DIST?
OUR TELNOS 1712 AND 1724: JUNE 4 ANNIVERSARY DEMONSTRATIONS IN HONG KONG
SUMMARY
RELATIVELY SMALL PROCESSIONS ON 2 AND 3 JUNE. 50,000 TURNOUT FOR PEACEFUL CANDLE-LIT VIGIL IN VICTORIA PARK ON 4 JUNE. ONE PROTEST FROM NCNA (SO FAR).
1.
DETAIL
2.
POLICE ESTIMATE THAT THE CROWD YESTERDAY EVENING IN VICTORIA PARK REACHED APPROXIMATELY 55,000 AT ITS PEAK. PRESS REPORTS PUT THE FIGURE HIGHER. THE CANDLE-LIT VIGIL WITH SPEECHES AND MUSICAL PERFORMANCES PASSED ENTIRELY PEACEFULLY. THOUGH THE NUMBERS WERE NOT QUITE AS GREAT AS LAST YEAR, THEY DEMONSTRATE A CONTINUED UNDERLYING STRENGTH OF FEELING AND A DETERMINATION TO DEMONSTRATE
THIS PUBLICLY WHICH IS REMARKABLE FOR HONG KONG.
3.
ON THE AFTERNOON OF 2 JUNE A PROCESSION OF ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF VARIOUS PRO-DEMOCRACY ORGANISATIONS, MARCHED FROM CHATER GARDENS TO THE NCNA. THE MAIN DEMONSTRATION DISPERSED JUST AFTER 1900 HOURS, BUT ABOUT 100 PEOPLE REMAINED SITTING IN QUEEN'S ROAD EAST OPPOSITE THE THE NCNA. AT ONE POINT THEY ATTEMPTED TO RUSH THE POLICE BARRIERS AND CROSS THE ROAD, BUT WERE PREVENTED FROM DOING THIS. THEY BEGAN TO DIRECT THEIR CRITICISM AT THE POLICE AS WELL AS THE CHINESE. EVENTUALLY THE POLICE PERMITTED SMALL GROUPS TO WALK PAST NCNA AND ONE OF THEM WAS ALLOWED TO PLACE AN EFFIGY OF A COFFIN OUTSIDE THE DOOR. FOLLOWING THIS THE DEMONSTRATORS DISPERSED PEACEFULLY. THE COFFIN WAS REMOVED ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES LATER.
4.
A MUCH SMALLER PROCESSION TOOK PLACE ON 3 JUNE. ABOUT 70 PEOPLE STARTED FROM MONG KOK, MARCHED DOWN NATHAN ROAD, CROSSED TO HONG KONG BY THE STAR FERRY AND CONTINUED TO NCNA. THIS WAS ORGANISED BY THE FEDERATION OF STUDENT UNIONS, AND INCLUDED
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