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Letters

June 4 vigil has changed, but is still important
As a secondary school student, I noticed that many of my schoolmates were not keen to attend the June 4 vigil in Victoria Park.
They certainly showed less enthusiasm for it than they would for an event, say, to ­commemorate Occupy Central.
The number of people attending the vigil on June 4 has dropped, and this does not ­surprise me.
Youngsters identify more with Occupy Central, because of the deteriorating relationship between the central government and Hong Kong. This has led to the growth of protest movements in the city.
I do not see the June 4 ­commemoration now as a ­protest movement. It may have been seen in that way in the years following what happened on June 4, 1989, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
It has now become more of a cultural event, but it is still ­important. It reflects the efforts of Hong Kong citizens to ­continue to call for democracy in the city.
I am sure that all those who participate in the vigil and other pro-democracy events, despite being from different organisations, share the same vision when it comes to the future political ­situation in Hong Kong.
Therefore, in a cultural sense, the ­Victoria Park vigil is still ­important.
Anrou Yuan, Quarry Bay
Some students really need a history lesson
The decision of some students’ unions to boycott the June 4 Tiananmen commemoration is an egregious insult to those who, in 1989, looked just like today’s students and had the same aspirations as them, and were killed for their beliefs. How dare they show such ­ignorant ­contempt?
Their ignorance of history is also very telling. History has never been a series of discrete events with start and end dates. It is a continuum, with opinions adapting as the historical ­context becomes clearer and the relevance to contemporary events becomes more apparent.
The consequences for ­today’s Middle East of the ­collapse of the Ottoman empire in the first world war is a perfect example, and that happened nearly 100 years ago.
I suggest the students either learn their history properly and show respect for those who fought before them, or be ­treated as the contemptible arrogant irrelevances that they come across as.
Lee Faulkner, Lamma
Not enough facilities for elderly citizens
With Hong Kong having an ­ageing population, there is a greater need to provide more facilities for our elderly citizens.
The government spends more money on building facilities for teenagers and younger adults rather than the elderly, and this allocation of resources has to change.
It must have more purpose-built venues in neighbourhoods where, for example, elderly ­citizens can go and see Cantonese Opera.
The elderly often have to make quite a long trip to see an opera performance, in venues such as the Ko Shan Theatre in Hung Hom.
We also need more parks in the city. You see a lot of elderly people in parks, especially in the morning doing exercises like tai chi. They also congregate there to meet and talk. This form of one-to-one communication is more important to them than sending texts online.
Far too often people focus on political issues, and ignore practical matters like ensuring enough leisure locations for the old folk in the community.
The government should ­recognise the importance of having enough elderly-friendly ­facilities in the city.
This sends the right message to pensioners: that they are ­respected and an important part of our community.
Sam Kam, Tseung Kwan O
We should be vigilant about con artists
The government and the police must raise public awareness over the threat posed by telephone scams.
Elderly citizens are especially vulnerable, and some of them could lose large sums of money from these con artists.
I once answered the phone and the caller talked about a ­parcel sent to the mainland which may have contained something that was considered to be illegal. However, I had never sent ­anything to the mainland and put the phone down straight away.
Government adverts should highlight this problem, so that citizens become more aware.
Niki Au Tsz-ching, Kowloon Tong
Teens can be careless when buying online
An increasing number of teenagers use the internet for shopping, but many of them ignore the importance of maintaining online privacy.
There could be serious consequences for young ­people who give out too much personal information online.
They need to be careful when they visit shopping websites and are using their credit cards. The teens must ask themselves if the website is secure, and if in any doubt, they should refrain from ­putting in their card details.
Also, they need to be sure that these retail sites will not pass their personal details to other sites without their permission. It is important to be aware of these security issues.
After all, cybercrime is a growing problem. Online criminals will use other people’s credit card details to commit ­illegal acts.
When they are shopping on the internet, youngsters should make sure they are using reputable and secure websites, so that they can avoid the problems I have described.
Cindy Tse Man-woon, Kwai Chung











Letters to the Editor, June 11, 2017

People hold a candelight vigil to commemorate June 4, in Victoria Park this year. Photo: Edward Wong

Opinion