HONG KONG - Chinese President Hu Jintao, in Hong Kong to celebrate ten years since the end of colonial rule, was Saturday expected to face fresh calls for democracy in the former British territory. The Chinese leader Friday managed to avoid several protests held across the city, including one rally by pro-democracy activists, but demonstrators vowed to mass outside his hotel on Saturday before an official welcome banquet in his honour.“I am not sure how many slogans I can shout out before security guards pull me away,” said radical lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, vowing to demand democracy for Hong Kong and an apology from Hu for the bloody 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.
It was not clear if protesters would be allowed anywhere near his hotel, where a massive security cordon has been set up, with police vans lining the streets and officers guarding the surrounding area.
Later, a group of Buddhists were to ring a bell for two hours. Shortly before midnight, a group of pro-democracy activists were to stage a rally to urge the public to march on Sunday, to call for greater democracy in the city.
One of the pro-democracy lawmakers, barrister Ronny Tong, said Hong Kong’s democrats had requested a meeting with Hu — who is making only the fourth visit by a Chinese president since the handover — but had not yet received a response. “We wanted to speak to him about how we can reach a consensus on universal suffrage. We hoped to bridge misunderstanding and distrust,” Tong said. “We don’t expect to have a chance to speak to the leader now.”