In response to a procession with some 20,000 participants
raising different concerns on Sunday afternoon, a spokesman of the
Hong Kong Special Economic Region (HKSAR) government said that the
HKSAR government fully respected people's rights to take part in
procession and their freedom of expression.
The procession started at about 2:00 PM. from Victoria Park and
concluded at the Government Secretariat before 7:00 PM. The
organizers said the main demand raised by participants in the
procession was universal suffrage, but participants also put
forward other concerns, including legislation for minimum wage
level, and rights for animals. An old man said he took to the
street because of high medicare spending.
Responding to the demands of the procession, the spokesman said
that the government would soon publish a green paper on
constitutional development and that this would be followed by a
three-month public consultation and a summing-up of the public
opinions.
The spokesman also said that the new-term government will reach
out to the community and enhance communications with the general
public so that they could embrace public sentiment and respond more
effectively to the needs of Hong Kong people.
During the procession, police closed some downtown streets
traffic to provide convenience for the participants. According to
statistics by the police, about 20,000 people participated in the
procession.
In the morning, more than 20,000 people joined another
procession to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return
to China.
In the evening, Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents and
tourists enjoyed fireworks display which started at 8:00 PM, also a
part of the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Hong
Kong's return.
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2007)