Advertisement

'It's ridiculous to say that no one died in the square'

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Gary Cheung

As a student leader, Kenneth Lam witnessed the military crackdown

Kenneth Lam Yiu-keung is a typical Hong Kong businessman - manufacturing metal and plasticware at a factory in Dongguan. Although now preoccupied with bread-and-butter issues, he will never forget the days and nights he spent in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the military crackdown he witnessed.

Mr Lam was chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, which represented the city's university students, when the protest began in Beijing in April that year.

Advertisement

On May 23, he and several students took money raised by the federation, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and tents to the capital in support of the protesters.

Mr Lam, who was studying at Chinese University, stayed on at Tiananmen Square until dawn on June 4, when the People's Liberation Army stormed into the square. During that time, he formed close friendships with prominent Beijing student leaders, including Wuerkaixi.

Advertisement

The charismatic Hong Kong student joined meetings of Beijing student leaders in the square and offered advice on what strategies the movement should adopt.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x