Tiananmen Square 25th Anniversary: Hong Kong Set to Lead Commemorations with Candlelight Vigil

Hong Kong is set to lead the commemoration of the 25<sup>th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre even as China is determined to wipe out the bloody army crackdown from history.

Record crowds are expected to take part in the candlelight vigil as scores of people from mainland China have also travelled to semi-autonomous Hong Kong, a former British colony.

Although Hong Kong marks the Tiananmen anniversary every year, the turnout will be higher this year. Up to 200,000 people are expected to participate in the commemoration event, which is being organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

In 2013, the authorities estimated 54,000 people attended the vigil in Hong Kong.

"By calling for changes in China, we are fighting for ourselves. The lack of democracy on the mainland limits freedom in Hong Kong, where China's Communist Party is cracking down on demands for universal suffrage," said the group's chairperson Lee Cheuk-yan, according to Bloomberg.

Lee was present at the Tiananmen square when the pro-democracy protesters were crushed by Chinese army a quarter century ago.

Pre-recorded videos of activists and student leaders who were victims of the military onslaught in 1989 have also been screened by the group.

The vigil is mainly organised to make the young Chinese aware of the pro-democracy protest as almost one third of the present Chinese population were not born during that time.

Hong Kong and Macau are the only two places under the Chinese rule where mourning for the victims of Tiananmen carnage can take place.

Similar events are also planned in Taiwan where activists are preparing to set up a huge image of the Tiananmen Square to mark the occasion.

On the other side, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, Chinese authorities have deployed hundreds of troops to prevent any show of dissent.

Security personnel, many armed with rifles, are patrolling the area while foreign journalists are quietly whisked away from the scene to prevent any untoward incident.

According to the Amnesty International, at least 66 people, those connected with the Tiananmen remembrance and others critical of the government, were under detention on the eve of the anniversary.

Beijing has also come down heavily on internet, blocking groups and individuals from airing any sort of dissent.