HONG KONG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Around five thousand demonstrators staged peace protest in Hong Kong Sunday afternoon to defend the Diaoyu Islands and commemorate the Sept. 18th incident in 1931.

Organized by the Hong Kong Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands, demonstrators gathered in the Victoria Park in Hong Kong, holding the placard that reads "Return our territory", "The Diaoyu Islands belong to China."

Before heading towards the Japanese consulate in central Hong Kong, demonstrators stood in one-minute silence to mourn for the Chinese killed in the Anti-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945. After the silence, the crowd sang the national anthem.

Carrying the Chinese national flag, protesters chanted slogans "boycotting Japanese products", "imposing economic sanctions on Japan" when passing a Japanese department store in a shopping area.

Among the protesters were some young students and teenagers. A primary school student said he got some information about the Diaoyu Islands through Internet and believed what Japan had done is "incorrect".

Some parents brought their children to the demonstration, hoping they could learn the Diaoyu Islands are part of Chinese territory from an early age.

At around 5 p.m., demonstrators arrived at the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong. Demonstrators read out a statement, showing strong protest over Japan's so-called "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands.

Japanese Cabinet last Tuesday decided to disburse reserve funds to "purchase" part of China's Diaoyu Islands. Following the announcement, China's civil patrol ships reached the waters around the islands to start patrolling and showing China's sovereignty over these islands. Since then, demonstrations were staged in many Chinese cities to protest against the Japanese move. Enditem

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