Hong Kong vigil attracts thousands

A vigil in Hong Kong attracted tens of thousands to mark the anniversary of the events of June 4, 1989 on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Organizers said 55,000 peopled turned out, 11,000 more than last year, though police put the number at 27,000. This year's event was underscored by recent controversy after Ma Lik, the chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DABHK), a pro-Beijing party, said the events of June 4 had been a necessary crackdown by the government and not a massacre, the South China Morning Post reported. Ma's comments were quickly condemned. The annual vigil in Hong Kong is the only demonstration on Chinese soil to mark the events of 1989. Beijing makes sure no events are staged in mainland China but Hong Kong laws allow the event.