Tens of thousands of people marched through the heart of HongKong on Sunday to urge Beijing to introduce universal suffrage in the former British colony, in the biggest pro-democracy protest in the territory in more than a year.
Organisers of the match claimed that more than 250,000 people, many of them dressed in black, took to the streets to protest against government reforms that stopped short of a timetable for direct elections of the city’s chief executive and legislature.
The figure is much higher than the original expectation of 50,000, although the police said there were only 63,000 people.
The high turnout could put pressure on Beijing to answer the territory’s growing demand for more democracy and revise the reform proposal, academics said. China’s communist regime allows Hong Kong to keep its free market economy but it has kept a tight grip on the development of democracy since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Universal suffrage is promised in Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the territory’s mini-constitution, although no timetable is specified.
Anson Chan, Hong Kong’s former chief secretary, who joined the march, said, “I hope the Hong Kong and central governments will listen to our voice. I hope I could see universal suffrage while I am alive.”
Ms Chan has remained popular since resigning from her post as the second most senior government official in 2001. Her presence was seen as a boost for pro-democrarcy campaigners.
In July 2003, half a million of the territory’s 6.8m people protested against a government anti-subversion bill amid a depressing economic situation following the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The march marked the start of a widespread erosion in public confidence in the administration of Tung Chee-hwa, former chief executive, which eventually brought him down this year.
The pro-democracy movement had organised similar protests subsequently but drew far fewer people partly because, the economic situation in Hong Kong has picked up.
“This march is very important because we need to remind Beijing that we want democracy, whether it is good times or bad times,” said Chan Lai-keung, a 45-year-old computer engineer holding a banner which says “We want direct elections. Just tell us when.”
The march was prompted by a reform package put forward by Donald Tsang, chief executive, in October which proposed the enlargement of the legislative council from 60 to 70 members in 2008 and a doubling in the size of the committee that elects the next chief executive in 2007 to 1,600.
The plan drew immediate fire from the 25 pro-democracy legislators, who said it was inadequate to make the territory’s political system more democratic.
