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by Staff Writers

Beijing (AFP) June 04, 2014





US calls on China to account for Tiananmen on anniversary

Washington (AFP) June 04, 2014 - The United States on Wednesday called on China to account for those killed, detained, or missing in the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989, as Washington marked the 25th anniversary of the pro-democracy revolt. Washington (AFP) June 04, 2014 - The United States on Wednesday called on China to account for those killed, detained, or missing in the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989, as Washington marked the 25th anniversary of the pro-democracy revolt. "Twenty-five years ago, the United States deplored the use of violence to silence the voices of the peaceful demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square," the statement from the White House said. It comes as tensions simmer between the two countries on issues ranging from alleged hacking by the Chinese military into private US firms to displeasure in Washington with what it calls Beijing's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. "Twenty-five years later, the United States continues to honor the memories of those who gave their lives in and around Tiananmen Square and throughout China, and we call on Chinese authorities to account for those killed, detained, or missing in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989," it added. The US government and people welcome China's economic progress over the past decades, and want to maintain good relations, the White House said. But America will not be shy about airing its differences with China, it added. The United States, it said, will "urge the Chinese government to guarantee the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that are the birthright of all Chinese citizens." Taiwan leader urges China to redress Tiananmen wrongs

Taipei (AFP) June 04, 2014 - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday described the Tiananmen crackdown as "an enormous historical wound", urging China to redress the wrongs of the crushed pro-democracy protests 25 years ago. Ma made the call in his annual statement marking the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown but was not scheduled to make an appearance at a candle-lit vigil in Taipei later Wednesday, his office said. "Facing such an enormous historical wound, I sincerely hope that the mainland authorities will seriously consider and speedily redress the wrongs to ensure that such a tragedy will never happen again," the leader said in his yearly statement. Ma reiterated calls on Beijing to treat its dissidents well and to tolerate different opinions. He also urged Beijing to continue carrying out political reforms such as abolishing the forced labour camps last year and to make more efforts to promote democracy and human rights protection. "We hope to see it take more actions to realise democracy and the rule of law and protect human rights," said Ma. Taiwan's government has repeatedly urged China to learns lessons from the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters when troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians -- by some estimates more than 1,000. The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top China policy-making body, on Tuesday renewed calls on China to face up to history and protect the rights of dissidents. Reacting to Ma's statement, Yang Jianli, a prominent US-based Chinese dissident who fled China after the protests, offered praise for his call "for a speedy redress of the wrong of the June 4th incident". The vigil in downtown Taipei is expected to attract some 2,000 people, according to organisers. Ties between Taiwan and China have improved markedly since Ma took office in 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform, following eight years of tensions under the previous pro-independence government. He was reelected in 2012 for a final four-year term. Beijing however still claims the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification by force if necessary although they have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949. China on Wednesday imposed smothering security in central Beijing on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong for potentially the biggest commemoration yet seen in honour of the student protesters killed in 1989. The White House called for China's Communist authorities to account for those killed, detained or missing in connection with the June 1989 assault, which remains a taboo topic for a nation that refuses to allow political reform in line with its dramatic economic transformation. Evening candlelit vigils were due to take place in Macau and Taipei as well as Hong Kong, where organisers said a record crowd as large as 200,000 people would attend a vast gathering in a downtown park. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, whose democratically elected government still proclaims itself to be the true representative of China, described the events of 25 years ago as an "enormous historical wound". Ma called on Beijing to "speedily redress the wrongs to ensure that such a tragedy will never happen again". Likewise, the United States will continue to "urge the Chinese government to guarantee the universal rights and fundamental freedoms that are the birthright of all Chinese citizens", a White House statement said. Hundreds of unarmed civilians -- by some estimates, more than 1,000 -- were killed during the June 3-4 crackdown of 1989, when soldiers on foot and in tanks crushed months of peaceful protests by students who were demanding political liberties to match China's nascent economic opening up. Thousands of police and other security forces, some armed with automatic rifles, have been deployed across the Chinese capital this week. There were numerous police trucks on and around Tiananmen Square Wednesday, with fire engines and ambulances also visible. Some security officers had fire extinguishers placed ready nearby. Security has also been heightened recently after a spate of attacks that authorities blame on separatists from the far-western region of Xinjiang. Tourists and vendors criss-crossed the vast public square in the heart of the city, but uniformed and plainclothes officers were stationed at every corner and checking the ID cards of passers-by. An AFP journalist was ordered to delete photos of scuffles between police and frustrated pedestrians waiting to enter the main part of the square Wednesday morning. - 'Serious consequences' - In 1989 the demonstrations and subsequent crackdown played out on television screens across the world, and Beijing briefly became a pariah in the West. But 25 years later, the ruling Communist Party's authority is intact and its global clout continues to rise in line with the country's rapid growth, which has taken China to second place in the global economic rankings behind only the United States. UN human rights chief Navi Pillay on Tuesday called on China to "finally establish the facts surrounding the Tiananmen Square incidents". Hong Lei, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, condemned both Pillay's statement and earlier remarks by the US government as interference in China's "internal affairs". Since 1989, China has worked hard to erase public memories of the bloodshed, censoring any mention of the incident from online social networks and detaining scores of activists, lawyers, artists and relatives of victims in recent weeks. Among those detained ahead of this year's anniversary is prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who along with four others was taken away by authorities last month after attending a private seminar discussing the crackdown. Around 80 academics from 12 countries -- including some of the world's foremost China experts -- penned an open letter to President Xi Jinping on Wednesday pressing for the release of the five. Many foreign news outlets have received warnings from police and the foreign ministry against newsgathering related to the anniversary -- or risk "serious consequences" including the possible revocation of their visas. - Social networks scrubbed - Under pressure from authorities, Chinese online social networks quickly deleted any perceived references to the crackdown, banning terms including "Tiananmen", "student movement", "6/4" and "25th anniversary". A handful of mentions managed to slip past the censors, however, including one posting that showed an image of a candle and the date June 4, 1989. Asked about the anniversary, university students declined to be interviewed or suggested they did not know much about it. "I know about it but I don't really understand what it is," said a student near Peking University. "At this time, we were not even born!" she added. The state-run Global Times on Wednesday made references to the anniversary in an editorial in its English-language edition, but the Chinese-language version only alluded to it. "Chinese society has never forgotten the incident 25 years ago but not talking about it indicates the attitude of society," the English-language editorial said. .

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