1 Jun 2009

Protest in Hong Kong over Tiananmen killings

5:50 am on 1 June 2009

A protest march has been held in Hong Kong to mark the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen killings.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people were killed in China's crackdown on pro-democracy protests on 4 June, 1989.

There has been no official inquiry so the exact death toll remains unclear.

The BBC reports many at the protest wore black and white, to symbolise mourning.

Police said at least 4700 people took part. Thousands more are expected to attend a candlelit vigil on Thursday.

China still considers the Tiananmen protests "counterrevolutionary", but they are openly marked each year in Hong Kong because it is ruled under a separate political system.

Many of those taking part in the events see the occasion as vital to the preservation of Hong Kong's freedom of speech.