Remembering Tank Man And The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Tens Of Thousands Defy Ban To Attend Tiananmen Vigil

BBC: Hong Kong: Tens of thousands defy ban to attend Tiananmen vigil

Tens of thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong have defied a ban to stage a mass vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Officers erected barricades around the city's Victoria Park, but some pro-democracy protesters knocked them down and held candlelit gatherings.

Police banned the vigil this year, citing coronavirus measures.

Earlier, lawmakers approved a controversial bill making it a crime to insult China's national anthem.

Ahead of the vote, two legislators were taken away by security guards after throwing a foul-smelling liquid on to the chamber floor.

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Update #1: Defiant Hongkongers Commemorate Tiananmen Square Massacre Despite Ban -- Time
Update #2: Hong Kong marks Tiananmen massacre for what many fear will be the last time -- CNN

WNU Editor: The Hong Kong government is making it clear. Memorials will not be tolerated .... Pepper spray fired during Tiananmen Square memorial in Hong Kong (The Hill)

Remembering 'Tank Man'

Business Insider: China still gets annoyed with images showing the famous Tiananmen Square 'Tank Man,' 30 years after he became a symbol of the government's brutality

* June 4, 2019, marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown on Tiananmen Square, where thousands of people gathered to protest against the government.
* Armed Chinese troops mowed down hundreds of mostly unarmed protesters, and continued to patrol the city for days afterward.
* On June 5, 1989, American photographer Jeff Widener took an iconic photo of a man standing in front of an army convoy to block its path. He became known as "Tank Man."
* Today, China continues to crack down on any images or mention of the incident.

In the early hours of June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party sent a column of tanks and armed troops into Beijing's central Tiananmen Square to clear out thousands of protesters.

The demonstrators — mostly students — had for months occupied the area as a way of pressuring the government into greater democracy and liberalization.

Soldiers were, under newly-imposed martial law, given permission to "act in self-defense and use any means to clear impediments," ABC News reported, citing Tiananmen historian Wu Renhua.

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Update: 30 years after Tiananmen protests in China, 'Tank Man' remains an icon and a mystery (Times of India/New York Times)

WNU Editor: He will be remembered forever.

Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre -- Opinions And Editorials

Frida Ghitis, NBC: China doesn't mark the Tiananmen Square massacre's anniversary. But the world should.

China is incredibly powerful, but its leaders remain afraid of losing that power. And hardly anything scares them more than the echoes of Tiananmen.

China’s officials have used every tool at their disposal to muzzle criticism of the crimes the country committed at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, but on the 30th anniversary of the massacre, the events the government has tried for decades to erase from the pages of history are deservedly back in the spotlight.

It’s not a moment too soon. Despite international condemnation, China has not stopped its war on the truth, or its crackdown on free speech. The Tiananmen anniversary inevitably focuses the world on a fundamental truth about one of the biggest global superpowers: Despite China's spectacular economic success, its leaders rely on widespread repression to secure their grip on power.

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Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre -- Opinions And Editorials

Thirty years on: what led to the Tiananmen Square massacre? -- Cristina Abellan Matamoros with Reuters/Euronews
Remembering Tiananmen, China's pro-democracy movement that ended in bloodshed -- William Hilderbrandt, France 24
Tiananmen Square 30th anniversary: How China erased iconic 'tank man' image for young people -- Bill Birtles, ABC News Online
Tiananmen Square 30th anniversary: Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao reveals his identity -- ABC News Online
Tiananmen, a Chinese taboo -- France 24
China rises but 30 years after Tiananmen, crackdown remains taboo -- Kate Mayberry, Al Jazeera
30 years after Tiananmen – Is China's pro-democracy movement losing steam? -- William Yang, DW
Why we remember Tiananmen Square -- Perry Link, DW
Why China Won't Apologize For Tiananmen Square, And Why That Might Be A Good Thing -- Michael C. Wenderoth, Forbes
The Legacy of Tiananmen Square, 30 Years Later (Podcast) -- Chris Patten , Louisa Lim, Sophie Richardson, and Elmira Bayrasli, Project Syndicate
Tiananmen and the end of Chinese enlightenment -- Nikkei Asian Review
China 30 years after Tiananmen Square: Xi is latest autocratic leader to block dissent -- Louise Branson, USA Today
China erases the Tiananmen story: “It's been depressingly effective” -- The Economist

The World Remembers The Tiananmen Massacre. China Increases Security In Beijing

Daily Mail: China tightens security in Beijing on the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen crackdown while thousands gather in self-ruled Hong Kong to commemorate the victims in a candlelight vigil

* Tight security serves as a reminder of China's attempts to quash memories of the bloodbath on June 4, 1989
* Hundreds and possibly thousands of people were believed to be killed by troops and tanks during a protest
* Thousands of people showed up at a candlelight vigil in central Hong Kong to pay tribute to the victims
* Beijing criticised U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for calling the victims 'heroes of the Chinese people'
* China's defence minister said the crackdown was 'correct' as the country has made 'tremendous changes'

China has stepped up security around Tiananmen Square in central Beijing - exactly 30 years after unarmed pro-democracy protesters were killed by troops and tanks sent by the government on the plaza.

Extra checkpoints and street closures greeted tourists who showed up before 5am to watch the daily flag-raising ceremony at the square. An honor guard marched across a barricaded road and raised the Chinese flag as the national anthem played.

The tight security served as a reminder of the government's attempts to quash any memories of the crackdown on the night of June 3-4, 1989, when hundreds and possibly thousands of people were believed to be killed.

Read more ....

More News On Remembering The Tiananmen Massacre

China handles Tiananmen anniversary with usual silence -- AP
Beijing silent as tight security surrounds Tiananmen Square anniversary -- The Guardian
Hong Kong holds somber Tiananmen vigil as Beijing goes into lockdown -- Reuters
Hong Kong activists hold Tiananmen candlelight vigil -- AP
Tiananmen 30th anniversary: Thousands hold huge vigil in Hong Kong -- BBC
Tiananmen Square massacre marked with Hong Kong vigil -- The Guardian
Silence, high security in China on 30th anniversary of Tiananmen -- France 24
Hong Kong remembers Tiananmen, fearful for its own future -- AFP
Hong Kong prepares for commemoration of 1989 Tiananmen crackdown -- Al Jazeera
Tiananmen Square: China minister defends 1989 crackdown -- BBC
Pompeo statement on Tiananmen met with sharp China response -- AP
Tiananmen: China rebukes Pompeo on 30th anniversary of protests -- BBC
China condemns US 'arrogance' after Tiananmen anniversary remarks -- Al Jazeera

Secret U.K. Diplomatic Cable Claims That 10,000 Were Killed During China's 1989 Tiananmen Crackdown

Beijing residents gathering around the smoking remains of over 20 armoured personnel carriers burned by demonstrators during clashes with soldiers near Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

BBC: Tiananmen Square protest death toll 'was 10,000'

The Chinese army crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests killed at least 10,000 people, according to newly-released UK documents.

The figure was given in a secret diplomatic cable from then British ambassador to China, Alan Donald.

The original source was a friend of a member of China's State Council, the envoy says.

Previous estimates of the deaths in the pro-democracy protests ranged from several hundred to more than 1,000.

China's statement at the end of June 1989 said that 200 civilians and several dozen security personnel had died in Beijing following the suppression of "counter-revolutionary riots" on 4 June 1989.

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WNU Editor: Even though this massacre occurred 28 and a half years ago .... it refuses to go away. At the time my Chinese sources told me that less than 1,000 protesters were killed, and a few thousand wounded. As to this British cable claiming ten thousand were killed .... I could be wrong, but that number seems very high to me.

More News On A Secret U.K. Diplomatic Cable That Claims That 10,000 Were Killed During China's 1989 Tiananmen Crackdown

At least 10000 killed at Tiananmen Square, secret cable claims -- NEWS.com.au
10,000 killed in China’s 1989 Tiananmen crackdown: British archive -- Al Arabiya/AFP
Secret cable: 10,000 killed in China's 1989 Tiananmen crackdown -- DW
New documents: Tiananmen Square protest death toll was 10000 -- UPI

‘Tank Man’ Remains A Mystery 25 Years Later

Tiananmen’s Brave ‘Tank Man’ Remains Mystery, 25 Years Later -- Julie Makinen, Seattle Times/L.A. Times

The standoff, just east of Tiananmen Square, lasted only a few minutes but was so tense that witnesses recall it felt like an eternity.

BEIJING — For 25 years, foreign reporters have sought to identify the brave, solitary figure in the most memorable photo to emerge from China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. And still, the mystery of “Tank Man” endures.

Shortly after noon on June 5, 1989, the day after troops stormed through Beijing and into the square to crush the student-led political uprising that had paralyzed and electrified the capital for weeks, a lone man with shopping bags in both hands briefly stopped a column of tanks on the Avenue of Eternal Peace.

The lead vehicle halted. It moved right and left to avoid the defenseless man. Each time, he adjusted his position to remain in the tank’s path. Finally, he shifted the bags to one hand, jumped onto the tank and appeared to talk to its driver.

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My Comment: Centuries from now .... that is an image that will forever be a part of China and of the 20th century. A documentary on "Tank Man" is here.

The Chinese Military Was In Disarray On the Day Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Tiananmen Square Protests 1989 Stories by Williams

Tales Of Army Discord Show Tiananmen Square In A New Light -- Andrew Jacobs and Chris Buckley, NYT

BEIJING — On a spring evening in 1989, with the student occupation of Tiananmen Square entering its second month and the Chinese leadership unnerved and divided, top army commanders were summoned to headquarters to pledge their support for the use of military force to quash the protests.

One refused.

In a stunning rebuke to his superiors, Maj. Gen. Xu Qinxian, leader of the mighty 38th Group Army, said the protests were a political problem and should be settled through negotiations, not force, according to new accounts of his actions from researchers who interviewed him.

“I’d rather be beheaded than be a criminal in the eyes of history,” he told Yang Jisheng, a historian.

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My Comment: I hope that I will still be alive when China finally has an open and free discussion on what happened in Tiananmen Square 25 years ago .... because I know that such a discussion will forever change China into something better. My prediction .... this discussion will happen on the 40th or 50th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre .... and the Chinese leader who will make it possible will be forever remembered as a great reformer and visionary.

Assignment: China - Tiananmen Square (Video Documentary)

From YouTube: This segment in the Assignment:China series focuses on the coverage by American news organizations of the dramatic events in Beijing in 1989. Students marched in cities all over China, but it was the demonstrations in China's symbolic center, Tiananmen Square, that captured the attention and imagination of people worldwide and especially in the United States.

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My Comment:  Damn .... this video brings back memories on how exciting China was during the 1980s. (I was posted there in the mid to late 1980s to explore business opportunities). I left a month after the Tiananmen Square massacre .... but I do make a point of returning back to China every two years to meet old friends and acquaintances.

Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre 25 Years Ago

Remembering Tiananmen Square -- The Economist

HONG Kong is braced for what may be the most politically charged protest since May 21st, 1989, when 1.5m people flooded the streets. That was eight years before the city returned to Chinese rule, one day after authorities declared martial law in Beijing, and two weeks before Chinese troops unleashed deadly violence, on June 4th, to clear Tiananmen Square of demonstrators. A sprawling Hong Kong park named after Queen Victoria has since become the site of a yearly candlelight vigil; elsewhere in China commemoration of the June 4th crackdown remains strictly forbidden.

Read more ....

Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre 25 Years Ago

China Defends Crackdown Ahead of Tiananmen Anniversary -- VOA
China defends Tiananmen crackdown on eve of 25th anniversary -- Reuters
Security tight in Beijing on eve of Tiananmen anniversary -- FOX News/AP
Security at new heights on eve of China's Tiananmen anniversary -- CSM
China disrupts Google services ahead of Tiananmen anniversary -- Reuters
Tiananmen, Forgotten -- Helen Gao, NYT
13 Photos of the Tiananmen Square Massacre That China Wants the World to Forget -- Policy Mic
Tiananmen square protests and crackdown: 25 years on -- Tania Branigan, The Guardian
Here’s how Tiananmen lives on, 25 years after the bloody crackdown -- Washington Post
Tiananmen Square 25th Anniversary: The Day the World Saw China's Totalitarianism in Action -- Nick Holdstock, Vice News
China, the world remembers Tiananmen massacre -- Sophie Richardson, CNN

My Comment: 25 years later .... the emotions and sadness still overwhelm me when I think of those times. I was in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province (China) when the massacre occurred .... I still cannot properly describe that look of shock and pain that was on every Chinese person's face when they learned of the massacre .... and everyone knew what was happening as it was happening.

Sighhh .... if I am up to it later on .... I will give a more detailed update on what I was seeing in China during this time.

The below video is a good documentary on the events that led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre 25 years ago.

Remembering Tiananmen 25 Years Later

Photographer Recalls 25 Years Ago When Man Defied Tank In Tiananmen

BEIJING — He captured the photograph that immortalized the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989: a lone man in a white shirt standing before a row of tanks, seemingly fearless after the Chinese military has unleashed a bloody assault on pro-democracy protesters.

Nearly 25 years later, photographer Jeff Widener is left with bittersweet memories of that day and place. Sweet, because his “Tank Man” photo brought him international fame and serendipitously connected him, two decades later, to the love of his life. Bitter, because so many people died in a military assault that China’s government, to this day, refuses to acknowledge.

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My Comment: I was in Quanzhou (Fujian Province) during this time .... I will never forget the sick and pain looks that my Chinese hosts and friends had during that week and the weeks later. It was a terrible time .... and on a certain level .... China has not been the same since. My hope is that by the 50th anniversary there will be some reconciliation and open discussion on what happened that day.

Remebering The Tiananmen Square Massacre

China Marks 24th Anniversary of Tiananmen Crackdown -- Voice of America

China is marking the 24th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, amid tight security in Beijing and stifling censorship on the web.

Authorities every year work hard to prevent memorials and ban public discussion of the brutal military suppression on June 4, 1989, which ended weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations.

On Friday, police in Tiananmen Square and other prominent areas stood on guard for possible protests. Many activists have already been detained, placed under house arrest, or monitored closely in the lead-up to the sensitive anniversary.

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More News On Today's Anniversary Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre

China bans all internet searches for ‘big yellow duck’ as part of Tiananmen Square anniversary clampdown after prankster substitutes ducks for tanks in viral image -- Daily Mail
Censored in China: ‘Today,’ ‘Tonight’ and ‘Big Yellow Duck’ -- IHT
Thousands Rally in Hong Kong on Tiananmen Square Anniversary -- New York Times
Thousands remember Tiananmen as China tightens security -- Reuters
Tiananmen Square: "Great Firewall" all but hides the 24th anniversary of China massacre -- CBS
Tiananmen Anniversary Puts Chinese Government And Activists On Hyper-Watch -- Washington Post
ABC Reporter Interrogated in Tiananmen Square -- ABC News
Calls For Justice For Tiananmen Met With Silence -- NPR
Q&A: Mother mourns Tiananmen massacre -- Al Jazeera
Remembering Tiananmen Square’s Radical Reactionaries -- Bloomberg
New leadership but old response to Tiananmen anniversary -- Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu
Elite in China Molded in Part by Tiananmen -- New York Times
Tiananmen still taboo in China after all these years (+video) -- Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor
The Tiananmen Reckoning -- Claudia Rosett, Forbes
In pictures: Tiananmen anniversary -- BBC

My Comment: Here is a collection of iconic photos during that period of time. But if there is one event that I will always remember .... it is the video below ....

Tienanmen Square Massacre Is Still A Sensitive Subject In China

US Call For Full Tiananmen Massacre Disclosure Angers China -- BBC

China has accused the US of "prejudice" for urging Beijing to provide a full account of the crackdown on pro-democracy activists after the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the US should "stop interfering in China's internal affairs".

The Chinese authorities had already reached a "clear conclusion" about the Tiananmen Square protests, he added.

Discussion of the crackdown, thought to have left hundreds dead, remains taboo.

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More News On Chinese Anger Over U.S. Comments On The Tienanmen Square Massacre

Tiananmen provokes fresh China-US spat -- Al Jazeera
China Accuses US of Prejudice Over Tiananmen -- AP
China accuses U.S. of 'prejudice' over 1989 protest comments -- Reuters
China rebuffs U.S. call for complete Tiananmen Square protests information -- Business Standard
FM spokesman responds to US statement on 1989 political turmoil -- China Daily
On Eve of Tiananmen Anniversary, a Major Censorship Shift -- Wall Street Journal
Mothers of Tiananmen victims condemns Chinese leader Xi Jinping for failure to bring reforms -- The Independent

My Comment: I was in China when the Tiananmen Square massacre occurred (I was in Quanzhou city, Fujian). Everyone knew what was happening from international news broadcasts .... (and in my case Taiwan is just across from Fujian) .... and everyone was universally ill when images of the crackdown became known ... including those who were my hosts and senior officials in the government. 24 years later the shock may have disappeared .... but one thing that I have learned on my many returned trips to China is that everyone in China does know what happened in Tiananmen square .... and they still do talk about it openly amongst themselves. As for myself .... the day that a Chinese leader with the backing of the Central Committee makes a public apology for what happened in Tianamen Square will be a confirmation to me that China's government is finally evolving politically and "morally". When will that speech happen is something that I do not know .... but I believe that one of the reasons why the the current Chinese President was appointed was in fact to lay the groundwork for making such a speech. My prediction .... and hope .... is that such a speech will be made on the 30th or 40th anniversary of the massacre .... and the leader who makes it will be received extremely well by the Chinese people .... cementing his legacy and his place in China's history.

Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are believed to have died when the government sent in tanks and soldiers to clear Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4, 1989 Photo: AP

Tiananmen Square Quietly Remembered 23 Years Later -- ABC News

BEIJING – Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, but in China any mention of that day remains forbidden.

The Chinese government, which forbids any recognition of the massacre and the events leading up to it, has taken special measures in the last few days to further censor acknowledgement of the protests. Chinese micro-bloggers on the popular site Sina Weibo particularly felt the effects of censorship. Dissident posts were “harmonized” (removed) in minutes, profile pictures could not be changed, and the candle emoticon was removed.

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More News On Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre

China cracks down on Tiananmen anniversary -- AFP
China morning round-up: Tiananmen crackdown anniversary -- BBC
Tiananmen: Activists mark date that can't be mentioned -- CNN
China bans Tiananmen Square-related web search terms -- BBC
June 4 crackdown remembered in China stock index, or chance? -- Reuters
Odd twist in China stock index evokes crackdown -- AP
Ex-Beijing mayor backs away from long-standing account of Tiananmen crackdown -- Washington Post
US urges China to free remaining Tiananmen Square protesters on 23rd anniversary -- The Telegraph
US urges China to free Tiananmen Square activists -- BBC
Remembering the Tiananmen massacre -- Damian Grammaticas, BBC
Exclusive: Witness Recalls First Killing of the Tiananmen Square Massacre -- Epoch Times

My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that I am a China watcher .... I have also been a regular visitor to China since the 1980s. When I was living in Fujian province during the summer of 1988, that was when I first had a sense that a Democracy movement was forming. I cannot describe properly the frustration that many young people were feeling at the time .... but the sentiment for change and a hope for a better future was there .... and it was intoxicating. My translator was a young Chinese university student who was majoring in English .... and it is she that I must give credit to for educating me on China and for introducing me to her professor .... an elderly gentleman but who was in every sense a true democrat and believer in freedom .... and who also described (and showed to me) a China that my Chinese government hosts were always careful to not show to me.

I had to visit China in April of 1989, and to be in Beijing for a few days. It was there that I saw the students on the streets and the movement taking shape in Tiananmen Square. I only stayed for a short time in the Square .... I had time constraints .... and .... I never like large crowds. I regret not taking a picture of what I was seeing .... but the memories and excitement will be something that I will always remember. Just picture this .... a young Russian national who had just became a Canadian citizen in a sea of Chinese students eager to talk to me and to express their gratitude that I was there. That I cared to show up. But truthfully .... I only showed up because I was curious .... not knowing that in 2 months the Chinese version of the Statue of Liberty on the Square will be crushed, and a sea of red blood will be everywhere.

And now it is 23 years later. Where did the time go? Where is China going now? What happened to all of those young and eager faces that I saw 23 years ago? What's next?

Yup .... today will be a heavy day of reflection.

Regrets On The Tiananmen Square Massacre?

Former Hard-Line Beijing Mayor Calls Tiananmen Square Massacre ‘Regrettable’ -- Washington Post

BEIJING — Beijing’s mayor at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has described the bloodshed as “regrettable” and “a tragedy that could have been prevented,” in a rare departure from the Chinese Communist party’s version of the crackdown.

Chen Xitong, now 81, was regarded as a hard-liner at the time of the Tiananmen student protests. His comments mark the first time a senior official associated with the decision to fire on protesters has expressed regret for the June 4, 1989, massacre.

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My Comment: When the massacre at Tiananmen Square occurred, I was working for a company that was playing host to a dozen Chinese diplomats/business leaders in Montreal These officials represented the elite from Fujian Province .... and when the massacre occurred I saw some of them get physically sick from what they were seeing on TV. But when they got back home .... they towed the Central Party line and condemned the students.

I know that the leadership in China has regrets .... that this is a stain that one day will need to revisited and discussed in China. When will that day happen .... I do not know .... but fortunately .... as in the case of this former Beijing mayor .... some are starting the conversation now.

Remembering The Tiananmen Square Massacre

21 Years Later, Quiet Day on Tiananmen Square -- New York Times/AP

BEIJING (AP) -- Throngs of tourists and kite-flyers milled around Tiananmen Square on Friday under the watchful eye of security forces on alert for any attempt to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.

But in Hong Kong, the semiautonomous Chinese territory, the annual candlelight vigil drew thousands who took advantage of the freedom of speech in this former British colony. The crowd at Hong Kong's Victoria Park was large enough to fill six football pitches, though were no official estimates.

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More News On The 21rst Anniversary Of The Tiananmen Massacre

Remembering the Tiananmen Square massacre -- Washington Times
Thousands Attend Tiananmen Vigil in Hong Kong -- Wall Street Journal
Deng Is Said to Have Backed Tiananmen Violence -- New York Times
US urges China to free activists on Tiananmen anniversary -- AFP
21 Years Later, Quiet Day On Tiananmen Square -- NPR
Annual Tiananmen Square cat-and-mouse game -- L.A. Times
Still censoring, 21 years on: Chinese newspaper pulls cartoon of iconic Tiananmen Square massacre image -- The Daily Mail
Tiananmen Square will not be whitewashed easily. When will China apologise? -- Peter Foster, The Telegraph

China Fears Ethnic Strife Could Agitate Uighur Oasis

The oldest section of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang region of western China, is the heart of Uighur culture, but it is being razed for modernization projects. Alan Chin for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

KASHGAR, China — Ali the tour guide seemed nice enough and his English flowed with grammatical perfection — a useful attribute in a city where most people speak a Turkic language that sounds nothing like Chinese.

“Sure, I will take you wherever you want to go, but first I have to call my friend and see if he will drive us,” Ali said, turning away. After a quick exchange, he hung up the phone and politely announced that his friend was actually a government minder who would soon be arriving to guide the would-be clients away from any potential trouble.

The destination his “friend” had in mind? The airport, where the reporters, subject to a ban on foreign journalists, would be escorted onto the next flight out of town.

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My Comment: We (in the West) view China the same way that we viewed the Soviet Union. One big country filled with the same people.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Even in mainly "Han" China, there are distinct differences between different provinces. I was first exposed to it by the people in Fujian Province .... who were always resentful of the people in the North. When the Tiananmen massacre occurred, the soldiers were mainly from other provinces .... with most coming from the West and Mongol territories.

The common justification for the crackdown that occurred during (and after) the Tiananmen massacre, was that if the Chinese Government did not react, China would splinter into numerous groups. Again .... playing the ethnic card.

China has every right to be fearful of ethnic strife .... and if it is to start, it will be in the border regions of the West of the country. The Chinese Government knows that, the people in these regions know that, and the Chinese people themselves know that.

Tiananmen Square Massacre -- 20 Years Later

Tiananmen 20th Anniversary Brings New Repression -- Yahoo News/AP

BEIJING – Chinese police aggressively deterred dissent on Thursday's 20th anniversary of the crackdown on democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, amid calls by Hillary Clinton and even Taiwan's China-friendly president for Beijing to face up to the 1989 violence.

An exiled protest leader — famous for publicly haranguing one of China's top leaders 20 years ago — was also blocked from returning home to confront officials over what he called the "June 4 massacre."

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More News On The 20th Anniversary Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Security, call to account on Tiananmen anniversary -- Yahoo news/AFP
China security tight in Tiananmen -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Security Tight on Tiananmen Square Crackdown Anniversary -- Voice of America
Police Swarm Tiananmen Square to Bar Protests -- New York Times
To Shut Off Tiananmen Talk, China Disrupts Sites -- New York Times
Chinese websites mark Tiananmen Square anniversary with veiled protest -- The Guardian
China blocks commemoration of Tiananmen crackdown -- AFP
Washington commemoration of Tiananmen overshadowed -- AP
China angered by U.S. comments on Tiananmen -- Reuters
Chinese leaders quiet on Tiananmen -- BBC
Reliving The Nightmare In Tiananmen -- CBS
China marks Tiananmen protests; U.S. critical -- Reuters
One of Tiananmen's 'most wanted' returns to China -- CNN
U.S. Asks China to Account for Tiananmen Deaths -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. lashes Beijing on Tiananmen anniversary -- Washington Times
Survivors Confront Unsettled Legacy of Tiananmen -- Wall Street Journal
Tuesday map flashback: The Tiananmen massacre map -- Foreign Policy Blog
In China, Liberty Has Many Faces -- Washington Post
Through China's Looking Glass -- Forbes
Twenty years after Tiananmen, China needs law, not democracy -- The Telegraph
Why China is not going to say sorry for what happened at Tiananmen Square -- The Telegraph
"Photo Essay: Tiananmen Students Withstand Martial Law" -- Epoch Times
Photo Essay: Tiananmen Square Hunger Strikers Appeal for Change -- The Epoch Times
"Tank Man": The Picture That Almost Wasn't -- CBS

Police Flood Tiananmen Square Ahead Of Anniversary

Chinese honor guard soldiers stand in position
next to Tiananmen square in Beijing, China Photo: AP

From The Telegraph:

Tiananmen Square was flooded with police on Wednesday, as Beijing prepared for the 20th anniversary of the massacre of hundreds, if not thousands, of students by the Chinese army.

Several hundred police, paramilitaries and other security forces fanned out across the vast square, the symbolic centre of pro-democracy protests in 1989.

Visitors were carefully vetted at checkpoints at entrances to the square, and foreign journalists were barred from entering. Inside the square, plain-clothes and uniformed officers vastly outnumbered a smattering of tourists around the huge portrait of Chairman Mao.

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My Comment: War News Updates will have a complete summary of news on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre tomorrow at 9:00 AM EST. Since I was in China before the massacre, I will also share some of my perceptions and comments of what happened then ... and what is happening now.

China Battens Down Hatches As Tiananmen Anniversary Nears

An anti-government protester stands in front of tanks in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in the wake of the crackdown. Chinese supreme leader Deng Xiaoping is believed to have given the final orders for the military suppression of the pro-democracy protests, which claimed hundreds of lives. Jeff Widener / Associated Press

From L.A. Times:

Beijing blocks Internet social networking sites and rips pages out of foreign newspapers before the 20th anniversary of the crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

Reporting from Beijing -- There is no Twittering about Tiananmen Square, or anything else, in China this week.

In a crackdown apparently timed to the 20th anniversary Thursday of the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations, the Chinese government has pulled the plug on the social networking site Twitter and dozens of other Internet sites and blogs.

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More News On The 20th Anniversary Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre

China bars foreign reporters from Tiananmen Square -- AP
Social-networking sites Twitter, Flickr go dark in China -- USA Today
20 years after Tiananmen, remember Chinese protesters' exuberance -- New York Daily News opinion
China’s New Rebels -- New York Times opinion
Tiananmen’s Enduring Challenge -- New York Times opinion