hong kong hong kong marked chinas deadly tiananmen crackdown on thursday with candlelight ceremonies set for the evening across the city after authorities banned a mass vigil at a time of seething anger over a planned new security lawopen discussion of the brutal suppression is forbidden in mainland china where hundreds by some estimates more than a thousand died when the communist party sent tanks on june 4 1989 to crush a studentled demonstration in beijing calling for democratic reformsbut the people of semiautonomous hong kong have kept memories alive for the past three decades by holding a huge annual vigil the only part of china where such mass displays of remembrance are possiblethis years service was banned on public health grounds because of the coronavirus pandemic with authorities not allowing people to gather in groups of more than eightbarricades surrounded the park on thursday that has traditionally hosted the annual ceremonyorganisers have urged residents to skirt the ban by instead lighting candles at 800 pm 1200 gmt wherever they happen to bewith beijing planning to impose a new national security law on the finance hub that many believe will end the citys unique freedoms some residents on thursday said they feared future memorials would also be blockedi dont believe its because of the pandemic i think its political suppression said a man surnamed wong 53 who kneeled by the barricades outside victoria park to pay his respects to the dead before travelling to worki do worry that we may lose this vigil forevercrowds have swelled at hong kongs tiananmen vigils whenever fears have spiked that beijing is prematurely stamping out the citys own cherished freedoms an issue that has dominated the finance hub for the past 12 monthsthe city was engulfed by seven straight months of huge and often violent prodemocracy protests last year rallies that kicked off five days after the last annual vigilin response to those protests last month beijing announced plans to impose the security law which would cover secession subversion of state power terrorism and foreign interferencechina says the law which will bypass hong kongs legislature is needed to tackle terrorism and separatism in a restless city it now regards as a direct national security threatbut opponents including many western nations fear it will bring mainlandstyle political oppression to a business hub that was supposedly guaranteed freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after its 1997 handover to china from britainfurther inflaming tensions china has been pushing for another law that would punish insults towards chinas national anthem with up t three years in jailhong kongs lawmakers are expected to vote on the anthem bill on thursdaywith the victoria park vigil banned hong kongers are organising locally and getting creative chiefly with the scattered candlelight ceremoniesonline groups have sent out maps and lists of more than a dozen districts calling for people to gather for small vigilsseven catholic churches have also announced plans to host a commemorative mass on thursday eveningriot