Opposition To One-party Rule Vital: Lee Cheuk-yan

Veteran pan-democrat Lee Cheuk-yan has vowed to make fresh calls for an end to one-party rule on the mainland at Monday's June 4 vigil, despite the risk it poses to his potential bid for a Legco seat.

Lee, who is also the secretary of vigil organiser, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, said whether such slogans would affect his chance of running in a by-election was not his consideration.

Earlier this week, ousted legislator Lau Siu-lai suggested Lee as "Plan B", after she officially abandoned her appeal against her disqualification to focus on regaining her seat in the future by-election instead.

Lee said he is willing to run in the by-election if that is what the pan-democratic camp wants.

Some Beijing leaders have said that calling for end to one-party rule may be grounds to disqualify Legco candidates. But Lee said that won't affect his opposition to Communist Party rule.

"We will shout this louder this time. We have to resist the red line imposed on Hong Kong," he said.

He also urged the younger generation to back the call for democracy on the mainland. Eight student organisations have made clear that they will not be attending the annual Victoria Park vigil on Monday to remember the 1989 massacre.

"Look at what the one-party rule is doing in Hong Kong. They are disqualifying legislators, disqualifying candidates, there are political persecutions, they're imposing on us co-location and also the national anthem law," he said.

"They are trying to destroy our Hong Kong identity and Hong Kong freedom and our values," Lee told RTHK's Janice Wong.