It seems that the citizens of Hong Kong don't intend to go quietly into the dark night of a communist dictatorship. Good for them. From
Financial Times:
Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the heart of Hong Kong on the weekend to urge Beijing to introduce universal suffrage in the former British colony, in the biggest pro-democracy protest in the territory in more than two years.
The high turnout could put pressure on Beijing to answer the territory's growing demand for more democracy and revise the reform proposal, academics said. China's communist regime allows Hong Kong to keep its free market economy but it has kept a tight grip on the development of democracy since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Universal suffrage is promised in Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's mini-constitution, although no timetable is specified.
"This march is very important because we need to remind Beijing that we want democracy, whether it is good times or bad times," said Chan Lai-keung, a 45-year-old computer engineer holding a banner which says "We want direct elections..."
Bejing would do well to realize they are not dealing with a people who have been trodden down under the brutal heel of communism their entire lives. The people of Hong Kong know freedom. Once a people know freedom, they cannot be easily subjugated. Should Beijing fail to realize this, that thorn in their side could become a spear.
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