ACTIVISM – 51st Anniversary of the Tibetan Occupation, Hong Kong 3

On March 13th, 2010, I joined Christina Chan at the China Liaison Office in Hong Kong to protest the continued occupation of Tibet. The police presence was around 4:1 for each protester, around double last year‘s ratio. The following photos are from the local press, scroll down for video.

Activists hold vigil to mark Tibet riots
South China Morning Post, Mar 14, 2010

About 20 people held a candle-light vigil last night outside the central government’s liaison office to mark the riots in Tibet two years ago.

A scuffle broke out when several activists tried to hang a banner and a snow lion flag – a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement – on the office’s front gate. Police officers guarding the gate threatened to use pepper spray as the activists – including Christina Chan Hau-man, one of the organisers of the vigil – tried to push their way forward.

One person was slightly injured, the group said. Chan, a prominent student activist, was arrested in January over the alleged assault of a policewoman during a pro-democracy protest on New Year’s Day outside the liaison office. She is on bail. Last night the group was marking events in Tibet.

In March 1959, a failed revolt by Tibetans against Beijing rule led to the Dalai Lama’s exile. On the anniversary of the uprising two years ago, a riot started in Lhasa on March 14 and spread to Tibetan-populated areas in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu.

• The Standard, 15.03.10
• Video from iCable, 14.03.10 (Cantonese)
• Video from Oriental Daily, 14.03.10 (Cantonese)
• Associated Press (news wire), 14.03.10