Hong Kong police detained prominent democracy activist Chow Hang-tung on Friday morning, with authorities determined to prevent any protests on the anniversary of Beijing's deadly Tiananmen crackdown.

Chow Hang-tung is one of the vice-chairs of the Hong Kong Alliance, the group that organises the huge candlelight vigils to mourn those killed in Beijing's deadly 1989 crackdown on democracy supporters in Tiananmen Square.

Four people identified themselves as plainclothes police officers to Ms Chow outside her office building in the city's Central district and said they were arresting her, according to an AFP reporter on the scene. Chow was placed in a black saloon car and driven away.

A police source said Ms. Chow had been arrested under section 17A of the Public Order Ordinance, which covers publicising unlawful assemblies.

This year's vigil has been banned by Hong Kong police, who cited the coronavirus pandemic even though the city has not recorded a case of unexplained local transmission in more than a month. After the ban, the Hong Kong Alliance said it would not run the vigil.

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