Hong Kong fetes old Communists HK pays tribute to Communists

IRONY LAID a heavy hand on yesterday's ceremonies to mark the 53rd anniversary of Hong Kong's liberation from Japanese rule. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, the Hong Kong government recognised the role of Communist guerrillas in resisting the occupation.

Tung Chee-hwa, the Chief Executive, whose wealthy family fled Communist rule, stood with veterans of the East River Column, die-hard leftist fighters shunned by Britain's colonial administration.

The British-colonial government distorted the history of the anti-Japanese resistance, said Lee Lin-sun, chairman of the association that organised the ceremony. "Once Japan surrendered, it was the British who reaped the harvest."

While he was speaking, another ceremony was under way, attended by the British forces veterans and the underground British Army Aid Group. Until the handover of Hong Kong to China last year this was the only ceremony officially recognised.