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Samuel Chan

Months after last year's youth-dominated Occupy movement, young faces were noticeably absent from yesterday's march to mark the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, as the idea of separating the city's fight for democracy from the mainland's gains popularity with young people.
About 3,000 people took part in the march, according to its organiser the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, about the same as its estimate last year. Police put the figure at just 920, down from last year's 1,900.
"I am surprised there are almost no young people," said Alice Zhang, 20, who travelled from Shenzhen to join the march for the first time as she could not join Thursday's June 4 vigil.
Watch: Police say almost 1000 join annual June 4 Tiananmen Square remembrance march in Hong Kong 

Asked what she made of the seemingly waning support among Hong Kong youth for building a democratic China, the first-year university student said she saw no conflict between the two movements. "Hong Kong is already China's best hope for achieving democracy," she said.
"Only when mainlanders see democracy is working in Hong Kong will a nationwide political awakening be possible."
Also at the march was Tinky Wong, 16, who joined the Occupy protests last year.
"You may not like it, but it's not an option to separate Hong Kong's fate from China's after the handover," she said.
Leaders of student unions at several universities have decided to skip this year's June 4 vigil in protest at one of the alliance's slogans: to "build a democratic China".
Also at the march was Chinese University political scientist Dr Ma Ngok, who said the mainland's democracy movement remained as relevant to Hong Kong as ever. "If you say the human rights problem in China is none of our business, then on what grounds do you expect the rest of the world to care about Hong Kong?" he asked.
"Following this logic, even if the PLA had killed all Hongkongers [during last year's Occupy protests], it should have been of no concern to foreigners."
The Hong Kong Federation of Students yesterday said its planned events should offer "more room for reflection by participants" than the annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park.
Six of the 14 pan-democratic lawmakers who were in Shenzhen for dialogue with mainland officials yesterday morning also joined the afternoon march, which is held annually ahead of the June 4 vigil.
The march route this year for the first time ended at the central government's liaison office in Western district, a symbolic destination at which marchers intended to express their hope for a more democratic nation.
The alliance said the new destination was picked because Beijing was in control of local affairs, including political reform.


Few young people join Hong Kong march to commemorate 1989 Tiananmen crackdown

People marking the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown march to the central government's liaison office yesterday. Photo: Jonathan Wong

People marking the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown march to the central government's liaison office yesterday.Photo: Jonathan Wong

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