Student activists converge on the entrance to the event
A student activist group on Thursday demanded that Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying initiate clear democratic reforms and a retirement pension scheme for all citizens.
About 40 members of the Hong Kong Federation of Students converged on a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of Caritas-Hong Kong, a Catholic civil society organization, at which Leung was officiating.
“Ruling Hong Kong with a democratic system is a must,” said Eddie Chan, secretary general of the federation.
“That’s why we bring along a portrait of Zhao Ziyang,” he added.
Zhao was a former general secretary of the Communist Party of China who stepped down over his sympathy with the pro-democratic movement in 1989 that ended in bloodshed.
Protesters criticized Leung for what they characterized as his indifference to the Special Administrative Region’s 300,000 elderly who live in poverty.
The local government has cited financial burdens for its refusal to implement a pension plan for all citizens.
Lawmakers in the Legislative Council have filibustered attempts to implement such a scheme, which would cover pensions as well as unemployment benefits.
About 400 people attended the ceremony, with some expressing annoyance at the presence of protesters – a rare occurrence for a Church event – while others expressed sympathy with the demands of the protesters.
Caritas-Hong Kong was founded by the local diocese in 1953. It has 5,500 staff members across the region and is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a federation of 160 Caritas organizations operating in more than 200 countries.