A victory for 'people's power' - that was the verdict last night of activists bitterly opposed to the high-speed railway link. Thousands of protesters, who had literally carpeted half of Statue Square outside the Legislative Council building, shouted 'victory, victory' as news that voting on funding had been adjourned broke at about 10.45pm. One protest leader, Mirana Szeto May, told the crowd: 'We feel very proud of our success. We are not alone. We have solid support from the people. That is why we won.' Pan-democrat legislators were cheered by the crowd as they emerged from the Legco building at 11pm after a six-hour meeting. The activists pledged they would carry on with their fight and return for another rally when lawmakers meet again on Friday to discuss the HK$66.9 billion funding. Housewife Chick Yuk-ling said: 'We have no gun, no bullet, no vote in hand. There is little else we can do.' The cheers and applause gave a festival flavour to the central business district, which is usually deserted after office hours. The atmosphere in Statue Square had been upbeat all day. The air was thick with the smell of spring rolls, boiled eggs, and fried noodles as supporters set up booths and tents to provide refreshment for the demonstrators, as well as those who turned out in support. The 'Fun and Greenery Cultural Festival', as the organisers called the protest, saw the square outside the Legco building swarming with people. For most of the day, the square echoed with piercing whistles and booming broadcasts as the protesters set up a big screen to watch a webcast of the Finance Committee meeting. There were loud jeers from the crowd whenever a pro-government lawmaker spoke. When it was the turn of a pan-democrat, there was an outburst of applause. Some activists, in groups of 30 to 40, took turns to parade around the Legco building, kneeling down every 26 steps - a reference to the 26 kilometres Hong Kong would have to build, winning more applause from onlookers. Protesters said the railway - thought to be the world's most expensive in cost per kilometre - was too costly and that the money should instead be spent on fighting poverty. 'It is so much money but many Hong Kong people would not benefit from the project at all,' said student activist Christine Chan, of the University of Hong Kong. A villager from Tsoi Yuen - which would be demolished to make way for the project - asked: 'Why must the government force us out of our homes to build the railway?' Among the banners festooning Statue Square, one read: 'Protect Our Land'; another said: 'Nonsense Pro-Government Camp'. On walls in the square and on lightboxes at nearby bus stops 'wanted' posters for functional constituency legislators had been posted. Protesters said the politicians only cared about their sectors' interests and were not interested in people's livelihoods. Police estimated that 1,300 people took part in the protest. Organisers put the turnout at 10,000 by 10pm. Police had been preparing for trouble, amid signs of unrest since a New Year's Day protest outside the central government's liaison office in Western. Some of the anti-railway activists had also taken part in this protest, during which some demonstrators broke through police lines and managed to get inside the building. Hundreds of police officers were deployed to surround the Legco building yesterday. Security was also tight at the Central Government Offices - where many of the offices of government officials and legislators are located. Office worker Emily Chu said she had a friend at the protest and decided to join the rally after work to show her support. 'The scene seems peaceful. And there is good fun, with good food at the booths,' Chu said. 'It is different from what we saw on the television. When you come here, you can actually feel the joy.' The vote was also seen as a test for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who was chided by Premier Wen Jiabao last month and told to solve 'deep-rooted conflicts' in the community. Retiree Raymond Hui said: 'Hong Kong people have to foot the bill, but we have no say. That is because there is no democracy here.' Among the crowd were some familiar faces, including veteran activist Tsang Kin-shing and political analyst Professor Ma Ngok. Ma said: 'It seems unavoidable that the issue will finally become more political because it is the undemocratic system in Hong Kong that has enabled some of our legislators and our officials to ignore the people's voice.' Earlier in the day, a group of site workers and restaurant employees staged a brief rally outside the Legco building in support of the project. They said it would create jobs. People's voice By 10pm yesterday, organisers put the number of people who had joined the demonstration at: 10,000
