By China blasts US over Tiananmen Square comments as families banned from visiting graves
A candlelight vigil was held in Taipei’s Democracy Square to mark the 37th anniversary of Tiananmen Square. (AP: Chiang Ying-ying)
In short:
China has accused the United States of distorting facts after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said censorship could not “erase” the memory of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Vigils to mark the anniversary were held around the world, including in Taiwan.
But there were no vigils held in Hong Kong or China, where authorities reportedly banned families of those who died in 1989 from visiting their graves.
China has accused the United States of smearing its political system and distorting facts over Beijing’s deadly crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square as Taiwan tells China to “face up” to history.
On June 4 1989, the Chinese government sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform in and around Tiananmen Square.
Hundreds of people, and possibly thousands, were killed as troops advanced through crowds that were trying to stop the military from reaching the protesters on Tiananmen Square, a vast plaza in the centre of the Chinese capital.
The decision by the Communist Party leadership to send in the military was a pivotal moment in China’s modern history, determining that the market reform that transformed the country into the world’s second largest economy would not be coupled with political liberalisation.
The photo of a man in front of a convoy of tanks became the defining image of the Tiananmen Square massacre. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a news conference on Wednesday that “no amount of censorship can erase the past”.
“Those who sacrificed to uphold their unalienable rights of free expression and peaceful assembly will be vindicated some day,” he said.
But China’s foreign ministry hit back, saying it firmly opposed those comments.
“The Chinese government has long since reached a clear conclusion regarding that political turmoil that occurred in the late 1980s,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news briefing.
“The relevant erroneous remarks by the US side distort historical facts, smear China’s political system and development path, and interfere in China’s internal affairs.“
Tiananmen mothers call police crackdown a crime
This year, authorities reportedly prevented the families of those who died in 1989 from visiting their graves at Beijing’s Wan’an Cemetery.
The relatives from a group called Tiananmen Mothers have visited the graves for more than 30 years, reading memorial statements while police kept watch, according to Amnesty International.
Amnesty International called the move “a heartless act”.
Over seven weeks in 1989, students led peaceful pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. (AP: Sadayuki Mikami)
Tiananmen Mothers issued a statement, signed by 107 people, demanding full disclosure of what happened, compensation for the victims and their families and the pursuit of legal accountability for those responsible.
“The sacrifice of our family members is an indelible pain etched in our hearts,” Zhang Xianling, a member of the group, said in a video message posted on Facebook — which is blocked in China.
“Our tears have run dry, grief is buried deep within, what remains is eternal remembrance of our family members and hatred for the crime of massacring the people.”
Tens of thousands of people at a candlelight vigil at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on June 4, 2014, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. (Reuters: Bobby Yip)
Beijing has also moved in recent years to snuff out all public commemorations in Hong Kong, where an annual candlelight vigil had been held for decades before the imposition of a national security law in 2020.
In Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, where the candlelight vigil used to be held, a multi-day regional food and cultural bazaar is instead hosted by pro-Beijing groups.
Around a thousand uniformed police and dozens of plain clothed officers were deployed around the park on Thursday, which sits in the heart of the city’s retail and tourist area.
Chan Po-ying, a Hong Kong-based activist and the final chair of the now disbanded League of Social Democrats was taken away by a police van after showing up holding a yellow flower.
“Today is June 4, a special date which meaning everyone understands. It is absurd that one person holding a single flower could attract so much attention from reporters and police” Mr Chan said, before being stopped by police.
In nearby Causeway Bay, where peaceful vigils were held for decades, brief chaotic scenes erupted as police stood on guard and the atmosphere was tense, with officers stopping and searching some individuals.
Police arrested a man with a candle in hand for “disorderly conduct”.
Activist Chan Po Ying holds an artificial flower near Victoria Park in Hong Kong, the former site of candlelight vigils marking the Tiananmen Square crackdown. (Reuters: Tyrone Siu)
Alfred Tian, 29, said he made a special trip from the Chinese mainland to walk around the park and pray for the victims.
“As a Chinese, when you learn that history… I think at first it really strikes you because most Chinese people don’t really know much about it,” he said.
“It’s like a fire in the heart, the pursuit for democracy, for freedom of speech.”
The US Consulate in Hong Kong lit up digital candles in windows throughout the building to mark the anniversary.
Taiwan holds vigil
A person places a candle during a vigil at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. (Reuters: Tsai Hsin-Han)
Public commemorations of the crackdown also took place in Taipei.
“Barricades can seal off Victoria Park, but they cannot seal off the human spirit,” read a banner at the candlelit ceremony.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said a truly great country should not “blindly believe in military might or engage in militarism”.
“I sincerely hope that China can face up to the June 4 incident of 37 years ago, acknowledge the truth, soothe the pain, and open the door to reconciliation and dialogue,” he added.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request seeking comment on Mr Lai’s remarks.
China calls Mr Lai a “separatist” and has rebuffed multiple offers of talks from him. He says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
AFP/AP/Reuters
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original