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Hong Kong — Hong Kong police arrested four people and detained five others Tuesday as authorities sought to stamp out commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in mainland China.

Police were out in force patrolling Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, where an annual candlelight vigil had been held until recent years.

As police patrolled the area, including the two closest subway stations, they did not hesitate to take away people who were publicly marking the anniversary.

Police late Tuesday said they made four arrests, including a 68-year-old woman who was chanting slogans, and suspected to have committed offenses “in connection with seditious intention,” which carries a sentence of up to seven years in jail under a new domestic security law – known locally as Article 23. Videos from local media showed a woman shouting “The people will not forget.”

Three other people were arrested, including a 24-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman for allegedly attacking police officers and disorderly conduct, and a 23-year-old man on assault charges for allegedly attacking two security guards. Police told VOA the two men arrested were a Swiss and a Japanese national.

Five other people were taken in for questioning over suspicion of disrupting public peace, but have been released, police said.

Officers led away an elderly man who had held up two handwritten posters listing democracy movements in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan alongside a poem commemorating June 4. The police action came even though he folded his papers after being warned he would be arrested for “disorderly conduct,” according to a French news agency reporter who tweeted about the incident.

Police told VOA they could not immediately provide information about this case, but he was reportedly released later.

Separately, diplomats from Western countries were seen walking outside the park on Tuesday evening, followed by throngs of press, according to Hong Kong Free Press.

Ahead of the anniversary, police detained performance artist Sanmu Chen in Causeway Bay, the busy Hong Kong shopping district where the park is located.

Before officers approached him, Chen wrote the Chinese characters “8964,” which refer to the date of the crackdown, with his finger in the air. He also mimed the Chinese traditional tomb sweeping ritual of pouring wine onto the ground to mourn the dead, according to local media Hong Kong Free Press.

He was released the same night, Hong Kong police told VOA.

Local media reported several other people, including an activist who shouted, “People will not forget,” were also taken away, while people searched and questioned a woman whose phone flashlight was turned on.

In the past week, eight people were arrested for allegedly posting “seditious” messages, reports say.

For years, the vigil in Victoria Park drew thousands of participants. At its height, 500,000 people gathered in remembrance of the crackdown, making Hong Kong the only place in China where June 4 commemorations could be held. For a time, it was also the world’s largest commemorative Tiananmen Square event.

The vigils, however, disappeared after Beijing imposed its 2020 national security law on Hong Kong in response to widespread and sometimes violent 2019 protests over a later-rescinded extradition bill. The measure would have allowed authorities to send suspected financial criminals to the mainland for trial.

The 2020 law criminalizes secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism. While the government credits it with restoring order, critics say it has curtailed Hong Kong’s freedoms, including the right to hold events like the vigil, that last major one of which was held in 2019.

2024 law

Planners of past vigils tell VOA that authorities remain worried large-scale events could still be used as a platform for broader protest. The government appears to have confirmed those concerns with this year’s passage of Article 23, a domestic security measure that expands on the national security law, criminalizing and expanding penalties for offenses including sedition, secession and subversion.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said “different people may use different excuses to hide their intentions.”

“It’s important we all bear that in mind, to be on guard all the time against attempts to cause trouble to Hong Kong, particularly disturbing public peace,” he said.

One-time vigil organizer Richard Tsoi, a member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said Article 23 makes even small commemorations riskier.

“Now with Article 23, the penalty is higher … so the risk is higher,” said Tsoi, who served eight months in prison after defying the government’s ban on holding the vigil in 2020. The group disbanded the following year.

Some people, however, are commemorating privately. One activist posted a picture online of a wooden cross, flowers and a card with the words “People Will Not Forget” positioned by what appears to be Victoria Harbor.

So far, no one has been arrested for posting images, but local media reported a former district councilor’s display of candles in his shop was removed after a visit by plainclothes police officers.

The Tiananmen Square crackdown occurred when government troops fired on student-led pro-democracy protesters on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, possibly thousands, died.

At the park, one elderly man said there was no need to commemorate June 4.

“It was a tragedy, but it’s over; just let it go. Now the mainland and Hong Kong are doing so well. I hope they don’t organize any more protests; it was terrible for Hong Kong’s economy,” said the man. He declined to reveal his name because he considers the topic sensitive. “Wherever you live, you hope it is peaceful and stable.”

Asked if he was worried about the loss of Hong Kong’s freedom of expression, he said, “Everyone’s definition of freedom is different. You think freedom is like this. I think freedom is like that…. I need stability so that the economy is good and people can make a living.”

Farther away, a young mother described fond memories of participating in vigils as a teenager.

“It was very peaceful. It was to let us remember what happened,” said April, using a pseudonym to protect her privacy.

She now feels “helpless” about what had become of her beloved Hong Kong and “confused” about the events of the 2019 protests: who was in the wrong — violent protesters or police — and whether foreign influence was involved.

“I try not to think about it,” she said. “I used to support fighting for justice, but now I think I should just shut my mouth.”

Silence and lack of commemorations could mean future generations won’t know about Tiananmen — or at least not as much, Tsoi said. Since the end of the vigils, no place, not even democratic Taiwan, has been able to replace Hong Kong’s role in commemorating the crackdown.

“If this continues, people will forget this incident, the related history and the truth, especially the new generation,” he said, adding that Hong Kong textbooks have heavily redacted accounts of that historic event, and books on the topic have been removed from libraries and most bookstore shelves.

“I think the 1989 movement and June 4th is a major incident in … China’s modern history, which still affects today. There are still many unanswered questions, such as why the government decided at the time to clear the square, and how many people died,” Tsoi said. “Such a major incident shouldn’t be forgotten; it should be examined.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday expressed support for anyone reflects on the events of that one day in June of 1989.

“As Beijing attempts to suppress the memory of June 4, the United States stands in solidarity with those who continue the struggle for human rights and individual freedom,” he said.

Staff at the U.S. consulate and European Union office in Hong Kong lined windowsills with candles, which were visible after dusk.
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washington — China said it opposes a deployment of nuclear weapons to South Korea as it would pose danger to regional countries. Beijing was reacting to a report suggesting the United States should take such a measure to enhance deterrence against threats from North Korea. 

“If the U.S. deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Asia-Pacific region, it will be a dangerous move that will seriously threaten the security of regional countries and undermine regional peace and stability,” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington. 

“We will continue to handle Korean Peninsula affairs based on their merits and our own position,” he said in a statement sent to VOA on Monday. The embassy spokesperson described China’s position on the Korean Peninsula as ensuring peace and stability and advancing political settlement that suits the common interests of all parties. 

The remarks were made in response to a report released May 29 by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, calling for a major boost to U.S. military buildup and readiness against countries such as North Korea and China.

In the report, “Peace Through Strength,” Wicker suggested the U.S. explore new options, such as a “nuclear sharing agreement in the Indo-Pacific and re-deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula.”    

He said these would “bolster deterrence on the Korean peninsula” as North Korea “continues to build more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States and our allies in the Indo-Pacific.” 

In response to Wicker’s report, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA’s Korean Service on Friday that “the United States does not assess returning nuclear weapons to the Indo-Pacific as necessary at this time” and “has no plans to forward deploy nuclear weapons to the Korean peninsula.” 

The spokesperson continued, “U.S. security commitments to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region are steadfast and U.S. extended deterrence commitments to the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Australia remain ironclad.”  

In 1991, the U.S. withdrew from South Korea its nuclear weapons, which had been stationed there since the late 1950s. The U.S. has been providing extended deterrence commitment to South Korea and Japan, which means the U.S. military would use its full range of capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its allies.  

Washington and Seoul will hold their third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting next week in Seoul to discuss ways to enhance extended deterrence, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.   

The NCG was set up under the Washington Declaration announced in April last year when U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a bilateral summit in Washington.   

On Sunday, after the U.S., South Korean and Japanese defense chiefs met in Singapore, the three countries announced they will conduct their first trilateral, multi-domain exercises, dubbed Freedom Edge, this summer.   

Robert Peters, a research fellow for Nuclear Deterrence and Missile Defense at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA via email, “The United States should seriously consider redeploying nonstrategic nuclear weapons to [South] Korea” as they would help strengthen deterrence. 

Nonstrategic nuclear weapons refers to low-yield tactical nuclear weapons designed to be used on the battlefield. 

However, Thomas Countryman, who recently served as acting undersecretary of arms control and international security under the Biden administration, said “such a deployment would draw [South Korea’s] attention away from building conventional capabilities that are more essential to continued deterrence.” 

Out of 200 tactical nuclear weapons the U.S. has in its active inventory, 100 are located in Europe and the other 100 are stored as a strategic reserve in the U.S, according to Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation. 

“With the Russian aggression over Ukraine, it is hard to imagine the United States taking any significant number of weapons out of Europe,” said Bennett.   

“With China on the rise, the United States will be inclined to leave its strategic reserve in the United States and certainly not deploy it in South Korea where it could potentially be vulnerable to Chinese or North Korean interdiction,” he continued. 

Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said, “The U.S. military opposes the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons or any nuclear weapons to [South] Korea, because they would be vulnerable to a North Korean attack.” 

Japan would not object to the U.S. deployment of nuclear weapons in South Korea “as long as they remain under U.S. control,” said David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy. “It is only when South Korea develops its own nuclear weapons, would it potentially kick off an arms race in the region.” 
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Hong Kong — Hong Kong police arrested four and detained five others Tuesday as authorities sought to stamp out commemorations of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in mainland China.

Police were out in force patrolling Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, where an annual candlelight vigil had been held until recent years.

As police patrolled the area, including the two closest subway stations, they did not hesitate to take away people who were publicly marking the anniversary.

Officers led away an elderly man who had held up two handwritten posters listing democracy movements in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan alongside a poem commemorating June 4. The police action came even though he folded his papers after being warned he would be arrested for “disorderly conduct,” according to a French news agency reporter who tweeted about the incident.

Police told VOA they could not immediately provide information about this case, but he was reportedly released later.

Separately, diplomats from Western countries were seen walking outside the park on Tuesday evening, followed by throngs of press, according to Hong Kong Free Press.

Ahead of the anniversary, police detained performance artist Sanmu Chen in Causeway Bay, the busy Hong Kong shopping district where the park is located.

Before officers approached him, Chen wrote the Chinese characters “8964,” which refer to the date of the crackdown, with his finger in the air. He also mimed the Chinese traditional tomb sweeping ritual of pouring wine onto the ground to mourn the dead, according to local media Hong Kong Free Press.

He was released the same night, Hong Kong police told VOA.

Local media reported several other people, including an activist who shouted, “People will not forget,” were also taken away, while people searched and questioned a woman whose phone flashlight was turned on.

In the past week, eight people were arrested for allegedly posting “seditious” messages, reports say.

For years, the vigil in Victoria Park drew thousands of participants. At its height, 500,000 people gathered in remembrance of the crackdown, making Hong Kong the only place in China where June 4 commemorations could be held. For a time, it was also the world’s largest commemorative Tiananmen Square event.

The vigils, however, disappeared after Beijing imposed its 2020 national security law on Hong Kong in response to widespread and sometimes violent 2019 protests over a later-rescinded extradition bill. The measure would have allowed authorities to send suspected financial criminals to the mainland for trial.

The 2020 law criminalizes secession, subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism. While the government credits it with restoring order, critics say it has curtailed Hong Kong’s freedoms, including the right to hold events like the vigil, that last major one of which was held in 2019.

2024 law

Planners of past vigils tell VOA that authorities remain worried large-scale events could still be used as a platform for broader protest. The government appears to have confirmed those concerns with this year’s passage of Article 23, a domestic security measure that expands on the national security law, criminalizing and expanding penalties for offenses including sedition, secession and subversion.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said “different people may use different excuses to hide their intentions.”

“It’s important we all bear that in mind, to be on guard all the time against attempts to cause trouble to Hong Kong, particularly disturbing public peace,” he said.

One-time vigil organizer Richard Tsoi, a member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said Article 23 makes even small commemorations riskier.

“Now with Article 23, the penalty is higher … so the risk is higher,” said Tsoi, who served eight months in prison after defying the government’s ban on holding the vigil in 2020. The group disbanded the following year.

Some people, however, are commemorating privately. One activist posted a picture online of a wooden cross, flowers and a card with the words “People Will Not Forget” positioned by what appears to be Victoria Harbor.

So far, no one has been arrested for posting images, but local media reported a former district councilor’s display of candles in his shop was removed after a visit by plainclothes police officers.

The Tiananmen Square crackdown occurred when government troops fired on student-led pro-democracy protesters on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, possibly thousands, died.

At the park, one elderly man said there was no need to commemorate June 4. 

“It was a tragedy, but it’s over; just let it go. Now the mainland and Hong Kong are doing so well. I hope they don’t organize any more protests; it was terrible for Hong Kong’s economy,” said the man. He declined to reveal his name because he considers the topic sensitive. “Wherever you live, you hope it is peaceful and stable.”

Asked if he was worried about the loss of Hong Kong’s freedom of expression, he said, “Everyone’s definition of freedom is different. You think freedom is like this. I think freedom is like that…. I need stability so that the economy is good and people can make a living.”

Farther away, a young mother described fond memories of participating in vigils as a teenager.

“It was very peaceful. It was to let us remember what happened,” said April, using a pseudonym to protect her privacy.

She now feels “helpless” about what had become of her beloved Hong Kong and “confused” about the events of the 2019 protests: who was in the wrong — violent protesters or police — and whether foreign influence was involved.

“I try not to think about it,” she said. “I used to support fighting for justice, but now I think I should just shut my mouth.”

Silence and lack of commemorations could mean future generations won’t know about Tiananmen — or at least not as much, Tsoi said. Since the end of the vigils, no place, not even democratic Taiwan, has been able to replace Hong Kong’s role in commemorating the crackdown.

“If this continues, people will forget this incident, the related history and the truth, especially the new generation,” he said, adding that Hong Kong textbooks have heavily redacted accounts of that historic event, and books on the topic have been removed from libraries and most bookstore shelves.

“I think the 1989 movement and June 4th is a major incident in … China’s modern history, which still affects today. There are still many unanswered questions, such as why the government decided at the time to clear the square, and how many people died,” Tsoi said. “Such a major incident shouldn’t be forgotten; it should be examined.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday expressed support for anyone reflects on the events of that one day in June of 1989.

“As Beijing attempts to suppress the memory of June 4, the United States stands in solidarity with those who continue the struggle for human rights and individual freedom,” he said.

Staff at the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong lined windowsills with candles, which were visible after dusk.
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