By DPA
Hong Kong : An estimated 5,000 people took part in a protest march in Hong Kong Sunday calling for full democracy in the former British colony by the year 2012.
Protesters marched from the city’s Victoria Park to the central government offices three days ahead of the ending of a three-month public consultation over political reform.
Several thousand people earlier used yellow and blue umbrellas to spell out the numbers 2012 – the year pro-democracy activists want universal suffrage in the former British colony.
The turnout at Sunday’s event was only about a half of the 10,000 people pro-democracy groups had hoped would attend the colourful protest through the city.
The Hong Kong government appears to be leaning towards 2017 as the date for full democracy in the territory as the consultation process winds down.
Hong Kong is technically entitled to full democracy from 2007 under the mini-constitution, which was introduced after it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
Currently, only half of Hong Kong’s legislators are directly elected and there is no popular vote for the position of chief executive, who is chosen by a mainly pro-Beijing election committee.