The pro-Beijing camp in the Regional Council yesterday voted down an application to display the Pillar of Shame sculpture commemorating the Tiananmen killings, in Sha Tin Central Park.
An attempt by the Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China to put the sculpture and 50 display boards on show at the park between June 5 and September 5 was rejected by 18 votes to 15.
This was in spite of support from 11 Democratic Party members and four others, including Yim Tin-sang of the Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood.
The sculpture by Dane Jens Galschiot, portraying more than 50 painfully twisted human bodies, will be set up in Victoria Park to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the June 4 massacre.
The motion, sponsored by Lee Wing-tat of the alliance, met strong opposition from the pro-Beijing camp, including the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong.
Independent Chow Ping-tim said: 'Looking at a rather blurred picture carried by a local newspaper, I found the big sculpture terrible.' He thought it might cause unease among park users, including children. 'I would support the application if it featured a beautiful girl.' Some queried the artistic value of the sculpture.
Chan Shu-ying of the Democratic Party asked why Ngan Kam-chuen of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong opposed the application.
