Thursday January 1, 2004 9:46 AM
By MARGARET WONG
Associated Press Writer
HONG KONG (AP) – Thousands of people marched through downtown Hong Kong on New Year’s Day to demand full democracy in this former British colony, the biggest rally since a mass protest in July that threw the government into crisis.
Chanting “return power to the people,” about 10,000 people set off Thursday from an urban park toward government headquarters, according to organizer estimates. Police declined to provide crowd figures.
The turnout was seen as a crucial barometer of public sentiment, six months after 500,000 protesters took to the streets denouncing an anti-subversion bill proposed by the Hong Kong government, and backed by Beijing, as a threat to freedom.
But even organizers have said Thursday’s event isn’t likely to replicate the July 1 feat.
The government’s controversial proposal was shelved in October, and Hong Kong’s economy – another source of public discontent – appears to be on the rebound.
Thursday’s initial turnout matched organizers’ earlier predictions.
March organizers say by sustaining “people power” momentum, voters will put more pro-democracy candidates into office in September’s legislative elections – as they did in November’s District Council contest.
Since coming under Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong has enjoyed Western-style freedoms unheard of on the mainland, but remains only partially democratic.
Hong Kong’s top leader Tung Chee-hwa was picked by a 800-person elite committee loyal to Beijing. Ordinary people choose only 24 of 60 sitting lawmakers, with the rest filled by special interest groups and the committee that selected Tung.
The number of directly elected seats will increase to 30 in the September election.
The territory’s mini-constitution sets full democracy as an end goal, but provides no timetable. The Hong Kong government has vowed to start public consultations on political reforms soon, but pro-democracy critics allege it is stalling.
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 