Hong Kong shuts Tiananmen memorial museum

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – After disallowing public vigil to commemorate Tiananmen massacre, the authorities in Hong Kong on Wednesday shut a museum built in memory of the victims.

In a closing notice issued on Wednesday, “June 4th Museum” said Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers inspected the museum on Tuesday and found the operators violating the “Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance”.

The management committee of the museum decided after deliberation that further legal advice is needed on the incident, and in order to protect the safety of staff and visitors, the museum is temporarily closed until further notice, the statement added.

The authorities accused the museum operators of working as a “place of public entertainment without the required licenses”, state-run RTHK News reported.

Last week, Hong Kong authorities banned the commemoration of Tiananmen Square massacre in the semi-autonomous region.

The event to remember victims of the 1989 massacre in Beijing is held every year on June 4.

The local authorities under China’s semi-autonomous region have barred people from holding the candlelight vigil at Victoria Park on June 04 i.e. Friday.

Hundreds of Hong Kongers would normally gather at the park to commemorate the victims.

The 1989 protests started on April 15 and were forcibly suppressed on June 4 when the Chinese government sent the military to gain control of Tiananmen Square. Nearly 300 people died and 7,000 were injured, including soldiers.

The promoters said 550 people had visited the museum since it reopened last Sunday.

Richard Tsoi, the alliance's secretary, urged people “to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown by themselves in a safe and peaceful manner.”

“We still hope every citizen in Hong Kong can use their own way to commemorate June 4. We certainly think [if] we can maintain our strength at this particular critical moment, in the future we can definitely continue our struggle,” Tsoi said.

He also asked authorities to “clarify what actions constitute a breach of the laws in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam had said on Tuesday: “A slogan calling for an end to one-party rule may, or may not, violate the national security law.”

“How to interpret and enforce the law, including the national security law, the public order [ordinance] or related laws, is now getting more unpredictable,” Tsoi asked.

Last year, Hong Kong police had banned the event for the first time citing the raging COVID-19 pandemic. However, many people defied the ban and attended the event which resulted in police action against several prominent figures.

Ban on such events comes after China imposed the controversial national security law in the region last July, triggering massive backlash from the western capitals.

The law was imposed after Hong Kong was rocked by anti-government protests in 2019 in response to the now-banned extradition bill.