The event, the day before June 4, comes amid heated debate over the need to mourn those who were killed during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
OWEN.FUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Wednesday, 01 June, 2016, 5:11pm
Each year, a candlelight vigil is held at Hong Kong's Victoria Park to mark the anniversary of the Chinese military crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Beijing. Photo: Nora Tam
Three student unions, which believe there is still value in commemorating the June 4 crackdown, will hold a forum on Friday at Polytechnic University to tell young Hongkongers how the incident still affects them to this day.
The event comes amid heated debate in the city over the need to mourn those killed during the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
Franco Wong Chak-hang, president of PolyU student’s union and one of the organisers of the event, said the forum will focus on the meaning of June 4 for youngsters in the city.
June 4 veteran offers advice to HK students: build bridges, not walls
Last week, University of Hong Kong students’ union president Althea Suen Hiu-nam argued that commemorative activities should come to an end, saying they have not made any progress and are impeding the city’s democratic development.
Wong said while he understands why some young people in the city don’t see the significance of the crackdown, he insisted it is still relevant to Hong Kong.
“The June 4 incident is very important for Hongkongers and Hong Kong because it led to the politicisation of a whole generation,” he said, adding that he believes mourning those who were killed is a “virtue”.
“If we believe June 4 is significant, I don’t think there’s any problem ... in commemoration activities to our respect and to carry on their spirit.”
Earlier, it was confirmed that the Hong Kong Federation of Students will be absent from the annual candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, as they disagree with the organiser’s aim of “building a democratic China”.
Student unions from 11 higher education institutions will instead hold a separate forum, focusing on the future development of Hong Kong, on the evening of June 4 at Chinese University.
A similar forum will also be held at the University of Hong Kong.
Alternative June 4 vigil will include forum on Hong Kong’s future
The PolyU student leader said while he agrees that the June 4 incident could be used as a basis for discussing the future of the city, he questioned why the forums could not be held on a different day.
“I think June 4, the day itself, holds significant meaning,” he said, stating that they chose to conduct the forum a day before June 4 to avoid clashes with other commemorative activities.
The student unions of Lingnan University and the Education University of Hong Kong are two other organisers of the forum on Friday.
On the evening of June 4, the PolyU student union will hold their own commemorative activity at their university, which the Lingnan University student union will join as well.
Speakers at the event include student leaders from the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University as well as the vice-chairwoman of the alliance Chow Hang-tung.
On Sunday, the turnout at the annual march commemorating the Tiananmen Square crackdown fell to its lowest level in eight years, with only 1,500 people taking part.
Whether the rising localist sentiment in the city will affect the turnout at the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park remains to be seen, though the secretary for the alliance, Lee Cheuk-yan, earlier said he is confident that more than 100,000 people will attend.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1961560/student-groups-set-host-forum-importance-june-4-crackdown
