Hong Kong/China

Hong Kong hunger strike marks Tiananmen Square Anniversary

Article published on the 2009-06-02 Latest update 2009-06-04 06:46 TU

One of the hunger strikers pictured beside the statue of the Goddess of Democray in Hong Kong on June 2 2009.
(Photo: Reuters/Aaron Tam)

A group of students in Hong Kong have started a hunger strike as a tribute to pro-democracy campaigners who starved themselves during protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.

The thirteen students launched a 64-hour strike in time for Thursday’s anniversary of the 1989 crackdown, when hundreds of protesters were killed in the Chinese capital. Hundreds of students among the protestors had gone on hunger strike before the bloodshed.

"We want to show that a group of students who were not (in Beijing) can display their support not only mentally, but physically," said hunger striker Yip Cho-yan

Winston Leung, the 23-year-old student union president of Hong Kong Polytechnic University said the current strike - which began on Monday and ends on Thursday morning - was an attempt to keep the memory of Tiananmen alive.

Hong Kong is the only place on Chinese soil where the demonstrations will be commemorated, as it has a separate legal system from the mainland.

On Sunday, thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong to commemorate the crackdown in Beijing 20 years ago. Organisers said around 5,000 people rallied through the streets of the city.