Hong Kong doesn't forget Tiananmen

It seemed that the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre in Beijing would pass quietly this year amid shock over the devastating Sichuan earthquake. But in the end a couple of interesting things happened regarding both the anniversary and the quake.

Thousands of people jammed Hong Kong’s Victoria Park last night, enough to cover seven soccer fields. Crowd estimates range from 15,000 or so to nearly 50,000.

Organizers decided to commemorate both the Tiananmen bloodbath as well as the huge toll from the Sichuan quake. So Hong Kong remains the epicenter, as it were, of collective memory about the events of June 4, 1989, when soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army fired on and killed hundreds, and maybe thousands, of pro-democracy protesters in and near the main plaza in Beijing.

The topic remains radioactive in China, where all media and internet mention of the events are flatly banned. And the Chinese Communist Party has done a pretty good job of erasing memory among youth of what happened that day. Most university students and those younger know only vaguely of those long-ago events.

But this wound has not healed. For one thing, dozens of people remain in prison for their involvement in the pro-democracy protests.

Early last month, I spoke by telephone with Joshua Rosenzweig of the Dui Hua Foundation in San Francisco, an organization that works to free political prisoners in China. I didn’t get a chance to write a news article at the time about Dui Hua’s appeal for a blanket amnesty for June 4th prisoners. But it is worth noting that China has tied itself into some legal knots as it tries to become recognized as a state with rule of law even while denying legal recourse to these prisoners.

According to Dui Hua, 60 to 100 people remain in prison for June 4, 1989, involvement.

“Many of the remaining June 4th prisoners who remain in prison today, that we know about, we’re charged with hooliganism. That crime doesn’t exist anymore,” Rosenzweig told me.

So there you have it. Still in prison for a crime that isn’t a crime. And it’s been nearly 20 years. Anybody care to defend this policy? Dui Hua last month called for a blanket pardon for those among the prisoners who clearly are no longer a threat to society. The last such pardon was in 1975.

Speaking of interesting commemorations, the South China Morning Post has a story this morning about the Dalai Lama leading a prayer ceremony of his Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India, for the victims of the May 12 earthquake, which took some 70,000 lives.

Here's an excerpt from the Morning Post's article, which unfortunately is behind a pay wall:

A banner expressing condolences in Chinese characters was hung at the main entrance of the monastery, an unusual sight in Dharamsala, while monasteries across India also held similar ceremonies yesterday morning, according to Lawrence Brahm, a columnist who participated in the ceremony.

The ceremony, which lasted for one hour and 15 minutes yesterday morning, was attended by Samdong Rimpoche, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, together with all the members and staff of the exiled government.

"It is a very strong positive message to China. And this can be interpreted as the kind of gesture China has been waiting for," Brahm said by telephone from Dharamsala.

"While China has repeatedly asked them [the Dalai Lama's side] to exert some control over the protesters, stop all the protests during the mourning period, it is the kind of gesture that goes beyond simply Dalai Lama himself saying prayers."

Brahm said the ceremony was held yesterday because it was the opening day of the month-long Sagadawa festival commemorating the birth of Buddha.

Comments

[A B]

Gestures are very important.

Like a cut in MRBMs facing Taiwan, permission for Taipei to participate in WHO (subject to a good proposal), etc.

[jeff]

So Daliar Lama had a big family gathering, since most of the important posts of the government-in-exile are held by his relatives. Thanks for the prayer ceremony anyway.

Tiananmen event is a tragedy for all Chinese. It will be remembered and discussed for a long time to come. There are serious lessons we can learn from it. All people except those who set fire and killed PLA should be set free from prison and compensated.

[A B]

I disagree, jeff.

It is an unlawful assembly.

While some of the grievances are legitimate, like inflation, the upset of the career path of university students to highly prized official jobs that paid well in favor of business people who made fortunes and more than students could ever make as officials, etc.

Those are reasons to complain, to seek reform, but not reasons to seek the overthrow of the government --- which is what some (not all) of the students did.

They could have peacefully dispersed a week earlier after having made their point.

The Government also handled it badly by calling out the PLA.

So there is plenty of blame to go around.

Having said that, there should be a general amnesty after the Olympics and those who promise to behave should be set free.

A 20 year sentence is enough to punish all but those guilty of offenses like killing of policeman and soldiers.

If they wish to leave the country, they should be allowed to do so.

But no compensation.

[PaZhuLian]

Re: //Organizers decided to commemorate both the Tiananmen bloodbath as well as the huge toll from the Sichuan quake.//

Looks like the organizers had to combine these two events together to draw more crowds and perhaps get approval. On the other hand, it seems that the “CCP-puppet” authority simply failed to detect the subliminal message of karma in such combined commemoration. Maybe CCP is loosing/losing its control over Hong Kong?

[jeff]

A B

I partially agree with you. The Tiananmen generation learned about outside world through VOA. I remember every times I heard the words "Freedom", "Democracy", Tears filled my eyes. Naive though at that time, this is what we believed. I said it was a tragedy because students shouldn't have gone that far. China needed reform not revolution. China could fall apart like Soviet Union. Except those who killed PLA, most of them love their country. This year is a good time to let those people out. Also I have a very bad feeling for those coward student leaders who had advance knowledge of an imminent crackdown and fled to the US, leaving everyone in the dark. Now they have very notoriously bad reputation among the Chinese community here.

[Just another Laowai]

Dude, the Dalai Lama in the same story about 6/4 on 6/4?

As for forgetting about 6/4, I've just been reading recounts and thoughts about 6/4 on blog.foolsmountain.com, here's the feed: http://blog.foolsmountain.com/?feed=rss2

6/4 is also something that I expect almost every young Chinese student encounters overseas. It won't be forgotten. And yes, Hong Kong is an important part of that remembrance.

As for control over Hong Kong... I don't think PaZhuLian has stepped off the Star Ferry on the Kowloon side.

[jeff]

A quote from a blogger:

"Today, 19 years later, there’s a wide range of passionately held opinions. Many have argued that the goodness in today’s China would not exist if the student movement had succeeded; others argue the badness in today’s China would not exist if the government hadn’t suppressed the student movement. I can start by describing what the extreme positions are; these may be “extreme” in attitude, but it’s no exaggeration to say that many Chinese support each side."

[jeff]

"From those on the left, students broke the law by being on the square in the first place, and they never any intention of negotiation or compromise. They wanted revolution, and it was time to clear them off the square. Military force was the only justifiable reaction against those violent rioters and hooligans attacking PLA soldiers. From those on the right, students were protesting against an immoral and illegal government that lacked the authority to rule. Its use of force against unarmed civilians was a crime against humanity. We have plenty of videos and photos to support both sides of that argument."

"I will go with those moderates who try to split the difference. It was a tragedy all around: the students were true patriots who grew out of control, but the government should have found some other way to resolve the situation. I mourn all of those who died as victims of a political game: PLA soldiers and student protesters. Hopefully, China has learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of a chaotic populist movement led by self-serving student “leaders”. I’d like to think Wen Jiabao agrees with me, but it’s sad that China still can not discuss this issue directly."

[the tank man]

Hong Kong doesn't forget the tiananmen, either the people in mainland China.

[A B]

@jeff

I am not too sure we are in disagreement....

It is time for China / Beijing to forgive....

And time for the students who were persecuted to do the same....

Peace will not come from remembering the past grievances.

One brilliant fink once remarked that the important thing is what we are allowed to forget, rather than what we remember that will define the future.

Too many people have too many ways to dredge up past wrongs to justify the evil they do in the present or future.

After the Olympics, let China, let Beijing truly celebrate the coming of age of China by letting most of these Tienanmen prisoners go.

I might add that the amnesty should be so broadly granted to include many other people who have served long sentences --- as long as they pledge to truly reform.

Let a kinder, gentler, fairer China emerge.

Hu can do it.

So can Wen.

[jeff]

A B

Agree. A modern, democratic, and Confucius China will emerge.

[Wilbur Varela]

A similar situation happened at Kent State University, albeit in much smaller numbers. Mexico City? Same thing. ...when governments turn their weapons on their own kids, it is the worst kind of oppression. None of these wounds will heal without an accounting.
Sooner or later, China's wound will also be re-opened. @A B is right, let a kinder, gentler, fairer China emerge, and take it's place at the table of great powers, to use it's influence to bring peace and provide stability. The students of tianamen were patriots who loved China, they are broken old men now. Let them go free.

[James Cochran]

Most of the fenqing are ignorant of the 6-4 event. Most dismiss this as some reactionary standing in front of a tank instigating social dis-harmony. There should be some historical review of the events, what happened, who was involved, what they were protesting for, who cracked down on them and why, and the significance of why 6-4 should be remembered and what it has to do with China's development today.

Most of the fenqing are ignorant of all this. It would be useful to have a factual recounting of the event every year in media.

I too am ignorant and would like to read and see a summary review.

This will have to happen in the media outside of china for obvious reasons.

[PaZhuLian]

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people...

If it only were that easy.

[T.C.]

I don't believe any government would have tolerated that much as the Chinese government had
in that event. I was so surprised when I watched it on TV. The students were way too aggressive
in my opinion. That kind of massive protest wouldn't have been tolerated for that many days if it
happened in Taiwan, under Jiang Kai-Shek, whose regime was called "Free China" by US for a long time.
If you think I am a Chinese communist, you are wrong. I was born and grew up in Taiwan. The
above comment was out of my heart, from what I observed on TV. I do agree it might be a
good time to pardon them. After all they were so inflamed by foreign TV media, who I believe had
very bad intentions.

[T.C.]

I don't believe any government would have tolerated that much as the Chinese government had
in that event. I was so surprised when I watched it on TV. The students were way too aggressive
in my opinion. That kind of massive protest wouldn't have been tolerated for that many days if it
happened in Taiwan, under Jiang Kai-Shek, whose regime was called "Free China" by US for a long time.
If you think I am a Chinese communist, you are wrong. I was born and grew up in Taiwan. The
above comment was out of my heart, from what I observed on TV. I do agree it might be a
good time to pardon them. After all they were so inflamed by foreign TV media, who I believe had
very bad intentions.

[Junhui]

I had a college professor that was a part of the Tiananmen incident (Surnamed Wang). He thankfully made it out abet being trampled all over (his jaw is semi-out of place) to retell his story.

When I talked to him he expressed so much sorrow over what happened and a large amount of anger. But to my surprise, the anger was not geared towards the government, it was geared towards the leaders of the movement. He had said the protest had gotten out of hand and it became uncontrollable.

In my point of view, it was indeed a horrific incident. The PLA should not have been sent with weaponry because when you're being attacked the natural reaction is to fight back; and thats exactly what happened. I have reason to believe that the Chinese government has learned from their mistakes and if this is true I am sure those who are imprisoned for "hooliganism" have also learned. I truly hope that they will be freed.

It is my hope, if not dream, that China will one day become a kinder, more compassionate nation allowing its citizens to speak, live and learn with the freedom all people deserve. One-party or not, I truly hope that China will allow for its people choose their leaders. I honestly believe that China is now heading towards that direction. Change does not happen over night.

@PaZhuLian
I honestly don't think the Central Government is losing control of Hong Kong. I think the Central Government is just being more relaxed about it. It's a good sign of progression. It's a good sign that China is learning.

[abales]

Its the drive of all people to achieve freedom - freedom from their government, freedom from censorship, and freedom of movement. The more the CCP clamps down on the people the more they want change. Things are not so hard now so there is less desire for change.

I hope China has success in coming of age, but I got my doubts. The torch march showed so many of them as not much more than an angry mob in search of victims.

[Junhui]

@abales
I don't understand your last sentence.