Like every June 4 over the past seven years, Victoria Park tonight will be lit up by thousands of candles as Hong Kong residents commemorate the pro-democracy movement in China.
This year, Hong Kong people ask: will this be the last candlelight vigil? Will the Special Administrative Region (SAR) government ban all June 4 memorial activities after the handover? They are concerned because they are afraid that the SAR leadership will follow Beijing's wish by censuring dissent.
The worry is confirmed by last week's survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The opinion poll found that while about half of the respondents were confident the June 4 memorial activities will be allowed after the handover, a high percentage, about 34 per cent, thought otherwise.
Optimists may say that those who cast doubts are being too cynical or defeatist. They say Chief Executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa has promised that lawful and peaceful assemblies and demonstrations will be permitted after July 1.
But what worries many local residents is that they can detect that June 4 is still very much a taboo subject for the Chinese leadership.
Mr Tung might appear to be open-minded on future June 4 demonstrations, but what he meant by lawful and peaceful demonstrations could still be open to interpretation.
And his rather evasive reply on whether he met members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China adds to the doubt. If he felt sensitive about talking about the alliance, what does that imply about the pro-democracy group's future? The conspicuous absence of members of the pro-China Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) from the legislature's debate on June 4 reinforced people's suspicion. For the community, June 4 is a historical fact that no one can wipe out. DAB legislators might find it politically incorrect to take part in a debate calling for the vindication of the 1989 pro-democracy movement. And they may be afraid of making known their views today. But Hong Kong people are not scared.