Youth, veterans participate in parades marking V-Day in Hong Kong

Ahead of Beijing's activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II, hundreds of young people and veterans participated in parades on Sunday in Hong Kong to mark the V-Day and commemorate those who fell during the conflict.

Before the parades, Home Affairs Secretary Lau Kong-wah said Hong Kong is an important base in China's war against Japanese aggression. Hong Kong fell to Japanese invaders in late 1941 and has been occupied for three years and eight months.

Lau said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government has decided to make Sept. 3 a public holiday and hold a series of activities to celebrate the V-Day, adding that he hoped younger generations would remember history and cherish peace.

Also on Sunday, more than a hundred veterans launched a parade and gathered in front of the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong to demand compensation for the wartime currency forced on them and apology from Japan. Enditem