Thousands march for greater democracy in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Thousands in Hong Kong urged Beijing to grant it greater democracy on Tuesday, with a recent furor over newly appointed political aides stoking perceptions of the unelected government's lack of accountability.

Large crowds of peaceful protesters marched through the bustling city's streets, huddling under umbrellas from the sweltering heat while brandishing colorful banners demanding everything from full democracy to racial equality and better welfare support.

The street demonstration comes at a time of rising inflation and a widening income gap for the former British colony's nearly 7 million people.

"Improve people's livelihood! Fight for Democracy!" chanted the crowds, while other banged on drums and sang songs.

Organizers said more than 40,000 people attended the July 1 rally, coming on the 11th anniversary of Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule in 1997, with attendance seemingly swelled by a recent controversy over new political appointees.

Police put the figure at 13,000 when the march began.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang has been under fire for the so- called "black-box" appointment of a new tier of 17 highly-paid senior officials, which critics say are his handpicked allies brought in largely to boost his power base.

"I don't think he's acting for the people of Hong Kong but protecting his own rice bowl," said Samson Chau, an engineer, as he held up a poster of Tsang trampling on a citizen underfoot.

Tsang, however, has argued that the aides, who had been recruited from the private sector, would boost the overall quality of governance.

While Hong Kong's long push for full democracy suffered a big setback in December, when Beijing ruled out this possibility till 2017 at the earliest, the city's pro-democracy camp said the fight for universal suffrage remained vital and relevant.

"We hope that we can very soon elect a government that would really respect the aspirations of the people at large," said pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau at the rally.

Hong Kong's reputation as the freest city under Chinese rule also recently suffered a blow when it banned and deported a number of activists ahead of the territory's hosting of the Olympic torch relay in May.

The rally highlighted the growing plight of the affluent city's less fortunate working classes.

"We must take care of the underprivileged, the grassroots and the elderly," said Allen Lee, a veteran local political figure.

"They are really having a livelihood problem, much more so than before," he added.

(Reporting by James Pomfret and Amrita Sheokand; Editing by Ben Tan)