China Erases Traces of 'Cheonanmun Incident' in Hong Kong... Police Crack Down on Memorial Events

Police: "Do not participate in illegal gatherings... Do not test our resolve to enforce the law"
Based on the 'Hong Kong National Security Law'... Religious memorials are also expected to be canceled

Hong Kong flag (left) and the Chinese national flag, the Five-star Red Flag. Photo by AP, Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] The annual Tiananmen Square incident memorial event held every June 4th in Hong Kong is expected to disappear into history starting this year.

This event, where citizens holding memorial candles filled Victoria Park at 8 p.m., was a representative event symbolizing Hong Kong's "One Country, Two Systems."

Although it was held every year, it is unlikely to be held in the future. This is because the Chinese government and Hong Kong police have begun controlling the memorial ceremony under the pretext of "cracking down on unauthorized protests."

On the 2nd, the Hong Kong police warned strongly at a press conference, saying, "There is encouragement to participate in an illegal assembly around Victoria Park on the 4th online," and "Do not test our resolve. Do not test our determination to enforce the law."

According to reports from CNN and others, Liu Ka-ki, a senior Hong Kong official, also threatened, "Those who incite participation in illegal assemblies may be arrested," and "Illegal assemblies can result in imprisonment of more than five years." Both offline and online activities are subject to sanctions.

The justification lies in the "Hong Kong National Security Law" passed in 2020. The event was not held in 2020 and 2021 either, but some citizens and activists forcibly held candlelight vigils in Victoria Park. They were arrested one after another and faced legal punishment.

This year, even religious memorials will not be held. The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong announced, "Due to concerns about violating the National Security Law, the Tiananmen democracy protest memorial mass will not be held this year."

Thus, this year will be the first year without the lighting of memorial candles for the Tiananmen Square incident. The Chinese government's "erasure of traces of the Tiananmen incident" has continued in Hong Kong as well.

On the 3rd, a day before the memorial day, a performance artist carried out a performance on the busy street of Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, carving a potato into the shape of a candle.

A Hong Kong performance artist holding a potato carved into the shape of a candle. Photo by Holmes Chan Twitter, Yonhap News

At the moment he pretended to light the potato-shaped candle, he was arrested by the police and taken away somewhere.

In addition, the Hong Kong police are inspecting citizens' bags around Victoria Park, checking for protest items such as candles.

Meanwhile, the Tiananmen Square incident refers to the event on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese government violently suppressed students and citizens demanding democratization at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

The Chinese government has been extremely reluctant to let the "Tiananmen Square incident" be known to the world, including its own citizens. Related articles were subject to censorship, and the keyword "Tiananmen Square incident" was restricted from online searches. The bereaved families were also under surveillance by the authorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.