Thousands of protestors marched through Hong Kong this morning to commemorate the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing 20 years ago this week.
Organisers said around 5,000 people walked through the streets of the city to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown, which left hundreds, possibly thousands dead on 4 June 1989.
Among the marchers was Xiong Yan, a leading student protestor during the 1989 demonstrations who now lives in exile in the US.
He was put on a list of the authorities' 21 'most-wanted' student protestors after the occupation of Tiananmen was broken up and spent two years in jail before being smuggled to the US.
His entry was unexpected because of China's sensitive attitude to any criticism of the crackdown. Other 1989 campaigners have been refused entry in the past.
'I was very surprised as I have tried many, many times to come,' said Mr Xiong, who arrived on Saturday night, the first time he had set foot on Chinese soil in 17 years.
Lee Cheuk-yan, a pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong and one of the organisers of the annual march, said it was crucial that the city continued to mark the events of 20 years ago.
'We are the only place on Chinese soil that can commemorate 4 June,' he told reporters.
The attendance at the march was sharply up on last year's figures. An annual candlelit vigil on Thursday is expected to attract tens of thousands.
This morning, marchers gathered in the city's Victoria Park.
The rally included a small group of mainland Chinese students, who wore t-shirts citing former Communist leader Mao Zedong: 'Whoever suppresses student movements is going to have a bad ending.'
