Today marks the 36th anniversary of the June 4th Incident. Causeway Bay, once the site of numerous June 4th memorial vigils, has become a sensitive area. Despite a tight police presence, some Hong Kong residents are still commemorating the event in various ways. In Taiwan, the only Chinese community where June 4th memorial services can be held, the Mainland Affairs Council and other government departments and venues have received bomb threats, which the council strongly condemns. Over 300 people braved the threats and the elements to mourn the victims of the June 4th Incident that evening.
Following the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong and the disbanding of the Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (ACM), the June 4th commemoration vigils have ceased. Every year, Hong Kong police maintain a tight security presence in Victoria Park and Causeway Bay, the former venues for the vigils. On Wednesday morning (June 4th), armored vehicles and a large number of officers were deployed for a full-day security presence. Starting in the afternoon, several citizens suspected of engaging in acts of commemoration near Victoria Park were detained, including an elderly woman holding white flowers and walking in silence, and two middle school girls who appeared in Victoria Park holding white flowers. A man was also surrounded by police and taken into a police van for sitting silently with his eyes closed while holding an electronic white candle.
According to Hong Kong media Jizhi News Agency, Hong Kong police sent people to camp and guard Lion Rock, which symbolizes the spirit of Hong Kong, on June 4th.
Hong Kong government inspects "yellow shops" before June 4th; plainclothes police officers linger outside small candle shops
In addition, multiple government departments inspected several "yellow shops" on the eve of June 4th. Chan Kin-kam, a former pro-democracy district councilor who was arrested by the Hong Kong government under Article 23 of the Basic Law on June 4th last year for her involvement in inflammatory posts on Zou Xingtong's Facebook page, sold homemade scented candles printed with the slogan "Protecting the Truth, Carrying On the Memory" for HK$6.4 at her shop. She was reported to Customs on the eve of June 4th, and several unidentified men have been lingering outside her shop since Tuesday (June 3rd). She confirmed to our station that the lingering individuals were plainclothes police officers and did not speculate whether the action was directed at her or the candle buyers. She added that June is a month filled with collective memories, and that June 4th will not be the reason for the shop closing. However, she believes the police's actions will disrupt normal business activities.
Chen Jianqin said, "Yesterday (June 3rd), there were so many strangers wandering around that even the mall security asked me if the police were coming. I said I really didn't know. It wasn't until after 11pm, when the mall closed and customs inspections were almost complete, that the two men in white shirts outside my store hadn't left. I went to ask them who they were, and one of them admitted to being a police officer. These unidentified strangers aren't putting pressure on me; they're disrupting my business, which is unacceptable." (Will you continue to sell candles?) If there's no directive not to, there's no problem. I'll be open for business as usual on June 4th, and I'll ensure the products I sell are legal."
Instead of a Victoria Park gala, imprisoned former Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China Vice Chairperson Zou Xingtong opted for a 36-hour hunger strike in prison. Consulates of several countries in Hong Kong simultaneously posted photos of candlelight on Facebook on the morning of June 4th. The US Consulate changed its page cover photo to a candlelight image. The Australian and Canadian Consulates General in Hong Kong each posted messages emphasizing the importance of not forgetting the June 4th Incident. The British Consulate General in Hong Kong wrote the words "I don't want to recall, but I dare not forget" and the number 36 on a photo of an empty chair.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council strongly condemns intimidation of Taiwan's June 4th commemoration rally
Taiwan is the only place in Chinese society where public commemoration of the June 4th Incident can take place. However, before this year's event, the Mainland Affairs Council and other government departments, as well as the venue, received threatening letters demanding the cancellation of the event. Lai Rongwei, chairman of the Chinese Democratic Academy, revealed to this station that the threatening letters included bomb threats. He stated that the threats would not affect the event, emphasizing that a successful event would demonstrate to the world the distinction between Taiwan and China and showcase Taiwan's commitment to democracy and freedom. He suspects the threats are linked to China and its proxies.
Lai Rongwei said, "These threatening letters are all related to sensitive issues that concern China and the CCP. This is easy to understand, and it's reasonable to suspect that the CCP is issuing orders through its proxies in Taiwan. In fact, China's threats to the world are all based on the same tactics: the threat of force and intimidation. Of course, they are mixed with a lot of false information and other threats. Taiwan's best defense right now is democracy; this is the resilience of Taiwan's democracy. The more it (China) tries to infringe on our sovereignty, the more it tries to silence us through violence, the more we must let the world know about this incident (the June 4th Incident). On Taiwanese soil, everyone can speak freely, and today is the best example of this."
Amber, a Taiwanese student attending the memorial, said that using bomb threats to halt the event was unacceptable and should not be normalized. She added that remembering June 4th and the actions that took place during it were both important, which is why attending the memorial was important. Another Taiwanese student, using the pseudonym A, stated that although the June 4th incident predated her birth, cross-strait relations are currently in an awkward and sensitive state. Remembering the painful history of June 4th, like the suppression of the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong a few years ago, is a form of self-vigilance.
The Mainland Affairs Council stated that the threatening emails that threatened to detonate explosives if the June 4th commemoration activities were held were illegal acts that threatened social order. The Council strongly condemned this and the government will definitely deal with it according to the law.
Several groups including Hong Kong residents in Japan held a gala, using the issue of Chinese immigrants to Japan as a reminder not to forget the June 4th Incident.
In addition to Taiwan, several other groups, including Hong Kong residents in Japan, held an early candlelight vigil for the June 4th Incident and a gala commemorating the eighth anniversary of Liu Xiaobo's death at the House of Representatives' Hall in Tokyo on Tuesday (June 3rd). Japanese lawmakers were in attendance. Lee Ito, founder of the Hong Kong Goddess of Democracy group in Japan, who helped organize the gala, told CNN that while the number of participants this year was similar to last year's, there were more mainstream Japanese media outlets covering the event than last year. This is believed to be due to the large number of Chinese immigrants in Japan in recent years, which has sparked public interest in activities related to China.
Li Yidong said, "Thirty-six years have passed since the June Fourth Incident. While its relevance to Japanese society is not strong, Japan is economically dependent on China. Over the past year, a large number of Chinese have immigrated to Japan. The mainstream view is that Chinese in Japan are intent on encroaching on the local economy and welfare. Japanese media also want to understand another side of the Chinese community in Japan, and this year's event has received more attention than last year. We hope that through this event, we can remind both the Japanese government and the public that the regime that perpetrated the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 has not changed; it remains the same regime, and any promises made by that regime should not be easily trusted. We want Japanese society to understand that there are still a group of Chinese liberals who, like Hong Kong people in Japan, can carry on the tradition of commemorating the June Fourth Incident in Victoria Park."
Groups in 20 cities in seven countries, including the UK, the US, Australia and Canada, held June 4th memorial activities and galas, following the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park in Hong Kong.
