A temporary museum to commemorate China's bloody military crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square 28 years ago opened in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Albert Ho of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which holds annual memorials in the territory for victims of the massacre, told reporters at the new site that the group is still looking for a permanent location.

The "June 4 Museum," which had operated for two years from 2014 on the fifth floor of a commercial building in Kowloon, was closed down in July last year, allegedly under political pressure from Beijing, after complaints from the building's owner that its presence was in breach of rules specifying that the premises only be used for offices.

The temporary museum, which showcases a smaller-scale exhibition chronicling major events related to the massacre, is in an old industrial building in Kowloon that has been converted into an art studio complex.

"We have witnessed soldiers charging into Tiananmen Square, shooting at people to kill. We have seen Wang Weilin using his own body to block the procession of tanks," Ho said. "Our generation lived through it and we have to educate the younger generation about this ugly page in China's history."

Students who had rallied in the square in the Chinese capital for weeks to protest against government corruption and seek democratic reforms were met with armed troops and tanks on the night of June 3, 1989.

Hundreds if not thousands died while being shot and others were crushed by tanks in the violent crackdown that continued into the wee hours of June 4.

Chinese authorities have never admitted wrongdoing for sending in troops to crush the protests and have ignored calls for a complete, formal accounting of what happened, including how many people died.

"We must tell right from wrong, truth from lies and good from evil. I hope young people will come join us with the heart to seek the truth," Ho said.

The group has sought to entice more young people to join through online radio programs, after student unions of tertiary institutions said last year they will stop joining future memorials.

Ho said a march protest and a candlelight vigil will be held separately in coming weeks to commemorate the massacre victims and to remind Beijing that Hong Kong's people will not put it behind them until it is redressed.

An additional HK$3 million to HK$4 million (US$385,700 to US$514,000) is needed for the permanent museum, Ho said.

==Kyodo