Hong Kong, Janaury 02: A New Year’s Day march calling for democracy in Hong Kong drew as many as 30,000 people, making it the biggest protest of its kind in years, organizers claimed Saturday.
The crowd marching to the Beijing Liaison Office swelled by the time it ended Friday evening, according to organizers, who initially expected only 10,000 people to take part.
Police said there were 9,000 marchers by the time the march reached the Beijing Liaison Office, but the Power for Democracy group, which organized the march, said the total was much higher.
Such a turnout would be greater than the 22,000 who marched in January 2008 in another pro-democracy rally. The rising number was seen as a sign of growing discontent over the lack of progress toward full democracy in the city.
Hong Kong is currently embroiled in a public debate over government proposals for electoral reforms, which opponents said are a stalling tactic and do not go far enough toward universal suffrage.
Scuffles broke out at the end of the march Friday evening as activists tried for force their way through a cordon to reach the Chinese government building.
Two police officers and one protester were injured, police said, and the Hong Kong government issued a statement Saturday saying it “regretted” the violence.
The statement said the government respected the public’s right to free speech but said people should act in a “peaceful manner.”
The large turnout came days after Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang was chided by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at a meeting in Beijing for failing to quell political unrest in the former British colony.
As well as demanding full democracy in Hong Kong, marchers called for the immediate release of prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was jailed for 11 years in China on December 25.
Hong Kong is the only place on Chinese soil where anti-China demonstrations may be staged, because it maintains political and judicial autonomy under a “one country, two systems” arrangement with Beijing.
The city of 7 million currently has limited democracy with half its 60 legislators directly elected and no popular vote for the position of chief executive.
Hong Kong was technically entitled to full democracy from 2007 under the terms of its mini-constitution, but Beijing intervened to delay the transition until least 2020.
–Agencies