From AP via the New York Times:
It’s become an annual tradition in Hong Kong for thousands of people to light candles and sing solemn songs to commemorate the Tiananmen Square protests — the only public vigil allowed in China marking the bloody crackdown. But Sunday’s 17th anniversary comes amid a debate on how pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong handle the Tiananmen killings, one of the most sensitive issues in the city.
The controversy centers around a new political party’s failure to mention Tiananmen in its mission statement, a decision that has upset some who argue pressing China to address the crackdown is central to pushing for political reform in the communist nation.
Some have accused the Civic Party, formed by several widely respected lawmakers, of sacrificing its principles for the sake of better relations with communist rulers in Beijing. The bigger and older Democratic Party‘s platform condemns the “atrocity” and demands that China’s government punish the officials who ordered the military crackdown. [full text]
See also New America Media’s “Internet Keeps Tiananmen Spirit Alive”
