Hong Kong police arrested on Friday an organizer of annual vigils for the victims of China's 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, in what activists see as a suppression of one of the city's most powerful symbols of democratic hope.
The arrest of Chow Hang Tung, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, comes as thousands of police are expected to patrol the city's streets to prevent people from gathering.
The heightened vigilance from authorities was a marked departure from Hong Kong's cherished freedoms of speech and assembly, bringing the global financial hub closer in line with mainland China's strict controls on society, activists say.
The annual June 4 vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park, the world's largest, is widely seen as a symbol of the former British colony's democratic aspirations and desire to preserve its different way of life from mainland China.