Monday, June 05, 2006

Candlelight vigil

I am really proud of the dedication and solidarity of people over the past 17 years. I took this photo last night at the candlelight vigil to remember victims of the June 4th incident. The vigil is held every year since 1989 but this is the first time I attended and it was very touching. Police counted about 19,000 attendees while the organizers said there were 44,000! To me, it symbolizes that HK continues to be a free society. Elsewhere in China, it is not even allowed to discuss the June 4th incident publicly unless you echo what the government says.

Here are some other photos I took last night, and here's a link to a local newspaper report.

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posted by Lisi at 5:10 PM

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Comments on "Candlelight vigil"

　

Blogger Kris said ... (June 05, 2006 6:01 PM) : 

Great shot, Lisi!
I think looking on the bright side, there're many positive changes since '89...

　

Blogger Nuno said ... (June 05, 2006 6:37 PM) : 

I just hope you could participate every year on this vigil lisi.

　

Blogger Bob said ... (June 05, 2006 7:39 PM) : 

Hi lisi,

Great shot and interesting post. Hope it stays that way for a long time. Not much mention in the UK press - maybe the trade interests with China are too great.

　

Blogger Mark said ... (June 05, 2006 9:18 PM) : 

Wonderful shot Lisi, One question, could you write on this blog all that you wanted to without fear of censorship or punishment? What I mean is to say is HK as free as it wants was?

　

Blogger Denton said ... (June 06, 2006 11:18 AM) : 

Great photo and interesting post. Best wishes to all lovers of freedom and democracy ... Interesting question from Mark.

　

Blogger Lisi said ... (June 06, 2006 2:26 PM) : 

To answer Mark:

There is no censorship in HK, everything, including civic rights, stays very much the same as it was before 1997.

(I lived in Canada before and after the turnover, and didn't notice any significant changes when I moved back...the main thing I notice is that we use a lot more Chinese at work than we did before).

I can express myself freely, and same for all media, and there are regular criticism of Mainland policies in newspapers, TV and radios. Every year, the June 4th anniversary activities are extensively covered in the media. The mainland government does its own gatekeeping -- no HK newspapers are allowed in except for 2 official leftist newspapers. And I heard that they can't access blogspot from the Mainland.

No official censorship, but we can reasonably suspect some self-censorship in the media, which is a test to the individuals who are in charge. HK remains a free city, and as free as Canada, that's for sure.

Have a look of my Feb 20th post of another example of freedom in HK

　

Blogger stéphanie et arnaud said ... (June 07, 2006 12:15 AM) : 

Very nice shot! Your pics are better and better!

　

Blogger David Chow said ... (June 07, 2006 1:27 AM) : 

Lisi, I also attend the candlelight vigil. See my photos here:
http://hkdigit.blogspot.com/2006/06/17th-anniversary-of-tiananmen-square.html

　

Blogger Jude Calvert-Toulmin said ... (June 17, 2006 3:46 PM) : 

very poignant.

　

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (August 22, 2006 12:53 AM) : 

Great shot, and very moving commentary.

　

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