Democracy News

Ten of Thousands March for Democracy in Hong Kong
Heather Konjura
July 1, 2009 | Printer Friendly

On Wednesday, July 01, 2009, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched through the streets on the twelfth anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese sovereignty, one of the largest such protests in five years and a sign of discontent with this city's government.  Hong Kong police report that 26,000 people participated in this year’s protest, while organizers put the number at 76,000.
 
The Wall Street Journal writes that “While calls for greater democracy are a common rallying cry at the annual July 1 march, protesters now push a greater diversity of causes than in 2003 and 2004, when the tradition first took off.”  Causes also included heritage preservation, public housing, wages, the environment, the rights of domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines, and improved economic relief measures and investor protection during the financial crisis. 

Reuters writes that earlier this year, Hong Kong's leader, Donald Tsang, angered democrats by saying the city would delay a highly anticipated consultation on tweaking the electoral process for its leader and legislature, given the need to focus on the economy.  The Wall Street Journal writes that “Hong Kong democracy activists want to see universal suffrage for Hong Kong's chief executive and the legislature by 2012, while Beijing has said that the process won't begin until 2017.”

According to The New York Times, “a committee of 800 people, most with connections to Beijing, currently chooses the chief executive here, who must then be appointed by the Chinese leadership in Beijing before taking office.  Half the legislature is chosen by the general public and half by a variety of interest groups, including banks, chambers of commerce, trade unions and lawyers.”

References:

Reuters – Thousands march in HK for economic relief, democracy

The Wall Street Journal – Protesters March in Hong Kong on Anniversary of Handover

The New York Times – Hong Kong Democracy March Draws Thousands