Former Hong Kong vigil organizer strives to mark Tiananmen crackdown despite convictions
HONG KONG (AP) — Tang Ngok-kwan still occasionally visits the places where Hong Kong once publicly remembered Beijing’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown .…
Former pro-democracy activist Tang Ngok-kwan continues to visit sites in Hong Kong where Taiwan's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown was once publicly remembered, despite his fellow activists facing prison time for inciting subversion and the annual vigil they organized for the victims gone. On the eve of the anniversary, Tang bowed at Victoria Park, where tens of thousands gathered, and read aloud a list of the victims in a subdued voice.
He frequently returns to the now-vanished university campuses where commemorative sculptures once stood. In July, two of Tang's former colleagues were convicted under Beijing's national security law, potentially facing up to 10 years in prison, with their vigil organizing group also found guilty. The verdict, according to many observers, reflects the diminishing freedoms in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Tang maintained that the arguments in the verdict did not convince him and that he felt wronged on behalf of those convicted, expressing a sense of wariness whenever the vigil organizer group is mentioned.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
