SunWuKong
01-02-2004, 04:11 AM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3360595.stm
Protesters keep up pressure in HK
By Francis Markus
BBC correspondent in China
Thousands of Hong Kong residents have marched to press the government for political reform and more responsive policies on economic issues.
The protest comes six months after 500,000 rallied against anti-subversion legislation that was later shelved.
Fighting for a directly elected chief executive and a legislature has become the main theme of the campaign.
But protest leaders acknowledge popular feeling has lost some heat and urgency since the massive 1 July rally.
The pro-democracy camp is seeking to prove that it was not just a one-off summer of discontent and political mobilisation.
But the economy has shown signs of slight improvement and the government has been forced to shelve the controversial legislation which caused the public outcry.
'Persistent in protest'
About 10,000 sat on the grass in Victoria Park for a rally at exactly the same spot where the June march began.
They listened attentively as speaker after speaker came out with strong calls for greater democracy in Hong Kong.
People are determined to show that the momentum has not gone out of the campaign, said Lee Cheuk Yan, who heads Hong Kong's trade union confederation which co-organised the protests.
"The people of Hong Kong want to show to the world that we are still persistent in our pursuit for democracy and our fight for democracy," he said.
Some of the protesters have been expressing anger at Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's decision to name the maximum permitted number of appointed officials to district council posts, despite the strong showing of the Democrats in recent local elections.
Since then, among the array of political and economic grievances, demands for direct election of the territory's leader and its legislature by universal suffrage have grown louder.
The confidence of the Democrat camp has been boosted by their strong performance against pro-government parties in November's local elections.
They are hoping to build on that success in next September's polls for the legislative council.
It looks as if arguments about democratic reform will continue to dominate Hong Kong's agenda despite Beijing's warning that any changes must be approved by China.
Protesters keep up pressure in HK
By Francis Markus
BBC correspondent in China
Thousands of Hong Kong residents have marched to press the government for political reform and more responsive policies on economic issues.
The protest comes six months after 500,000 rallied against anti-subversion legislation that was later shelved.
Fighting for a directly elected chief executive and a legislature has become the main theme of the campaign.
But protest leaders acknowledge popular feeling has lost some heat and urgency since the massive 1 July rally.
The pro-democracy camp is seeking to prove that it was not just a one-off summer of discontent and political mobilisation.
But the economy has shown signs of slight improvement and the government has been forced to shelve the controversial legislation which caused the public outcry.
'Persistent in protest'
About 10,000 sat on the grass in Victoria Park for a rally at exactly the same spot where the June march began.
They listened attentively as speaker after speaker came out with strong calls for greater democracy in Hong Kong.
People are determined to show that the momentum has not gone out of the campaign, said Lee Cheuk Yan, who heads Hong Kong's trade union confederation which co-organised the protests.
"The people of Hong Kong want to show to the world that we are still persistent in our pursuit for democracy and our fight for democracy," he said.
Some of the protesters have been expressing anger at Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's decision to name the maximum permitted number of appointed officials to district council posts, despite the strong showing of the Democrats in recent local elections.
Since then, among the array of political and economic grievances, demands for direct election of the territory's leader and its legislature by universal suffrage have grown louder.
The confidence of the Democrat camp has been boosted by their strong performance against pro-government parties in November's local elections.
They are hoping to build on that success in next September's polls for the legislative council.
It looks as if arguments about democratic reform will continue to dominate Hong Kong's agenda despite Beijing's warning that any changes must be approved by China.