Szeto Wah, a long-time legislator who helped many student leaders escape China following the 1989 crackdown by the Chinese military, died on Sunday from lung cancer at age 79.

Wang Dan, who teaches at a Taiwan university, and Wu'er Kaixi, another prominent Tiananmen activist also based in Taiwan, said they fear being denied entry to the former British colony, which maintains semi-autonomous status within China.

Wang said Tuesday an online petition supporting his bid to attend Szeto Wah's memorial had garnered over three thousand signatures.

"As long as they allow me entry to Hong Kong, I am willing to cooperate with the Hong Kong government's requests," Wang said in posts this week on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

He called Szeto "the person I respect most on the face of the earth".

"I am willing to not see reporters, not hold press conferences and not participate in any public events. As long as I can (pay my respects), I can agree to any of the above conditions. If they refuse this, I can only say the Hong Kong government is too inhumane."

Szeto was best known for founding the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which routinely criticised Beijing for human-rights abuses and pushed for political reforms in Hong Kong.

Critics argue that Hong Kong and nearby Macau routinely turn back people deemed unwelcome by Beijing.

Wu'er told AFP he had been denied entry to Hong Kong "countless times", including a request several weeks ago to visit the terminally ill Szeto.

"Allowing me entry will not have a negative effect on Hong Kong," he said.

In a statement, Hong Kong's immigration department said it would make any decision based on "all relevant factors and circumstances".

The memorial is scheduled for late January.

The Alliance Szeto founded dedicated itself to helping victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of demonstrators.

Lee Cheuk-yan, a legislator and Hong Kong activist, said he had asked for a meeting with Hong Kong officials to green-light the pair's visit.

"I'm sure they are banned from entering Hong Kong," he told AFP. "We're asking for a government agreement to let them come."

earlier related report
Three policemen gunned down in China
Beijing (AFP) Jan 4, 2011 - Two murder suspects in eastern China gunned down three policemen and injured nine other people in a dramatic shoot-out on Tuesday, state media reported.

Police in Shandong province's Dezhou city had called on the house of a suspect's brother to investigate a murder that took place late December, the Shandong News website -- owned by the provincial government -- reported.

Police identified themselves and attempted to go in, but two people burst out and started firing their guns, hitting four policemen, the report said.

The suspects then hijacked a passing car at gunpoint to escape. After changing vehicles four times and injuring two passengers in the process, they were finally cornered on a street.

Police managed to capture one of the suspects, while the other committed suicide, the report added.

The city's police department was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP.

Crime rates have risen steadily in China since the country began opening up three decades ago, undergoing dramatic social changes.

But gun crime still remains rare in the country, where extremely tight laws bar virtually all private gun ownership, which prevents death tolls from reaching levels seen in shooting attacks in other nations.

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