September 18, 2010

Hong Kong
by P H Yang Photography (phyang.org)

Click here for more images.

Today is the 79th  anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" when Japanese army invaded China's north-eastern provinces of Manchuria in 1931.

In Hong Kong, the Diaoyu Islands Action Committee was joined by hundreds of  people in the protest march from Victoria Park to the Japanese  Consulate General in Central and the Central Government Liaison Office in Western District to protest against the the continued detention  of Chinese fishing boat captain Zhan Qixiong who was arrested near the disputed   Diaoyu Islands last week.

Placards and banners with slogans saying "Never Forget Sep 18 and Diaoyu Islands" were displayed, stressing that China has sovereignty  over the Diaoyu Islands.

The Democratic Party chairman, Albert Ho, who is a member of   the Action Committee for the   Protection of the Diaoyu Islands, said the protest also   served as a reminder of   Japan's militarist past.  He said Chinese people should not forget the atrocities committed by the Japanese   during the Second World War.

Ke Hua, the spokesman for the Action Committee, said they had raised enough money to despatch a ship to the  Diaoyu Islands, but the sailing date has not been fixed. The vessel can carry up  to 14 people.

Similar protests took place in cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shenyang as well as in Tokyo, New york and San Francisco.