Hong Kong commemorates WWII martyrs with wreath-laying ceremony

On Feb 3, 1942, the Original Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dong Jiang Column, composed primarily of Hong Kong civilians, was established to lead the residents of Hong Kong in armed resistance in defending their homeland. Lin noted that during the three years and eight months of Hong Kong's occupation by Japanese forces, the Hong Kong Independent Battalion was the only organized unit that persisted in armed anti-Japanese resistance.

"More than 90 percent of the guerrilla fighters were native Hong Kong residents, making the armed anti-Japanese history of the Original Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dong Jiang Column an integral part of the armed resistance history of Hong Kong," Lin added.

About 200 people from various sectors of Hong Kong attended the ceremony. Attendees included representatives of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong SAR and the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, President of the Society of the Veterans of the Original Hong Kong Independent Battalion of The Dong Jiang Column Lam Chun, Director of HKSAR Home Affairs Department Mrs Cheung Chiu Hoi Yue, Alice, JP, other SAR and Sai Kung District officials and legislative councilors, as well as many representatives from varied sectors.

All the attendees paid their respects and laid floral tributes at the monument, mourning the martyrs and their sacrifices.