He may be carrying a new burden on his shoulders along with the 20-year battle to vindicate those killed in Tiananmen Square, but when Szeto Wah walked into a cheering crowd in Victoria Park yesterday, worries about his late-stage lung cancer were the last thing on his mind.
'Will June 4 be vindicated? People know deep down in their hearts that it will happen. Before it does, the alliance will be fighting here year after year, with or without me,' the veteran democracy campaigner said.
He was making his first public appearance since news of his illness broke at the weekend.
'Even if I am in a wheelchair, I will still go to this year's June 4 march and the candle-light vigil,' he told hundreds of supporters who repeatedly cheered as he spoke at a booth run by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China at the Lunar New Year fair.
Long considered the most visible face among Hong Kong activists who spearheaded the campaign to seek vindication for students and workers killed in the Tiananmen crackdown, Szeto, who heads the alliance, put on a brave face.
'After two chemotherapy sessions, none of the side effects have happened. I can eat more, sleep better. Going to the toilet is as good as ever, and I'm five pounds [2.25kg] heavier,' he said. 'Your care and support is my motivation to win the battle.' Since shadows were found on his lungs late last year and he was later diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, the 78-year-old has kept a low profile and undergone treatment for his illness.
Sporting a grey suit and red tie, Szeto, who was helped to the stage after being driven to the alliance's booth in the park, initially wore a surgical mask to avoid infection.
