tagged w/ Tiananmen Square
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China detained several activist ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to the country.
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One–party autocracy has its drawbacks, “But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages.”One–party autocracy has its drawbacks, “But when it is led by a reasonably... more
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If you’re looking for the creme de la creme of vacation spots, a palace is right up your alley.If you’re looking for the creme de la creme of vacation spots, a palace is right up... more
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Massive protests, government crackdown, and media blackout—Tehran today sounds like Tiananmen Square two decades ago. But Dan Rather, who covered the China massacre, says the shift in the media landscape over the last two decades means there’s no comparison.
When protests against the official results of Iran’s presidential election were accompanied, almost immediately, by a media crackdown, thoughts turned inevitably to Tiananmen Square. On June 4 of this year, the world marked the 20th anniversary of the Chinese government’s brutal crackdown of the student protests in Beijing. It was a milestone that prompted me to go back over my memories of that time, of covering the remarkable student movement from within the square for CBS News, and of having the government pull the plug on our coverage on the evening of May 20, 1989.
With these memories fresher than they had been for years, the Iranian government’s move to control information within Iran and the information that left Iran brought reflexive associations and deep concerns.Massive protests, government crackdown, and media blackout—Tehran today sounds like... more
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To mark the twentieth anniversary of the crushing of the Chinese pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, this Tuesday night FRONTLINE is re-airing filmmaker Antony Thomas' 2006 report, "The Tank Man," which attempts to solve an enduring mystery:
Who was the lone, unarmed man who stepped in front of a column of Chinese Army tanks back in June, 1989? What happened to him afterward? And how did Tiananmen help redefine China's view of itself, and its place in the world?
In this definitive account, Thomas uses eyewitness and expert accounts to retell the amazing events of the spring of 1989, and to sort truth from myth about the man who became an icon of the struggle for freedom around the world before disappearing into history. Thomas also attempts to understand how China's leadership charted a course through the tumult, then remade the country into a global economic superpower in subsequent years.
The most telling scenes in the film may be those in which the legacy of Tiananmen seems least clear: At one point, Thomas shows the image of "Tank Man" to undergraduates at Beijing University, but none of them recognize it.
There are conflicting reports about whether images of "Tank Man" continue to be blocked across China. But, as we recently learned, if you attempt to watch this FRONTLINE film from inside the country, you're sure to find yourself out of luck--your connection will be blocked by Chinese censors, and your Internet browser temporarily shut down.
For more on the current situation in China, listen to FRONTLINE's new podcast, featuring an interview with The New Yorker's Beijing correspondent, Evan Osnos. The podcast also includes an interview with filmmaker Thomas who discusses the making of this film, including the moment he showed "Tank Man" to the university students.To mark the twentieth anniversary of the crushing of the Chinese pro-democracy... more
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His Holiness's Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square
Published: Wednesday, 3 June, 2009
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square students’ democracy movement, along with others who take an interest in Chinese affairs, I respectfully honour those who died expressing the popular demand for the government to be more accountable to its people.
The students involved in the Tiananmen Square movement were neither anti-communist nor anti-socialist. Their speaking out in defence of the Chinese people’s constitutional rights, in favour of democracy, and taking a stand against corruption, truly conformed to the underlying beliefs of the Chinese Communist government. This was confidently stated by the then Party chief Zhao Ziyang. Therefore, the forthcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China presents a great opportunity to review the events of June 4,1989.
Great changes have taken place in the People’s Republic of China since 1989. Today, it is a global economic power poised to become a superpower. It is my hope that the Chinese leaders have the courage and far-sightedness to embrace more truly egalitarian principles and pursue a policy of greater accommodation and tolerance of diverse views. A policy of openness and realism can lead to greater trust and harmony within China and enhance its international standing as a truly great nation.
THE DALAI LAMA
June 4, 2009His Holiness's Statement on the 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square
Published:... more
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Twenty years ago he was the ultimate symbol of a peaceful democratic protest that went terribly, fatally wrong: a lone Chinese man in a simple white button-down shirt, carrying two plastic shopping bags, staring down a column of tanks.
"Who was he? He was Edmond Dantes. And he was my father and my mother... my brother... my friend. He was you... and me. He was all of us."
Be A Hero!Twenty years ago he was the ultimate symbol of a peaceful democratic protest that went... more
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Free Cuba Foundation co-president Julio Menache reads out text of the statement
June 3, 2009
20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE STATEMENT
We honor the victims, many of them students, who sacrificed their lives for freedom, democracy, and reform twenty years ago in China.
We join with our Cuban brothers and sisters who one year ago paid tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre at the monument to the Chinese fallen in the Cuban War of Independence in Havana on June 4, 2008.
Like our counterparts on the island as students we feel a connection to those Chinese students who exercised their fundamental rights to associate and speak freely in defense of democracy and human rights. Many paid the highest price for freedom with their very lives.
On June 3-4, 1989 the Chinese military extrajudicially executed thousands of unarmed students and workers violently crushing the non-violent student initiated mass demonstrations. We will never forget this heinous crime.
Twenty years later China remains one of the most repressive regimes on the planet. Christians, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners and people of other faiths are systematically persecuted. Freedom of expression and association are systematically denied and censorship is ever present.
We repudiate the brutal actions of the government of communist China and call on the civilized world to hold accountable all those responsible for this atrocity, that a full investigation with the participation of international human rights organizations be carried out, and that justice be provided for the Chinese people slaughtered twenty years ago inside and outside of Tiananmen Square and their families.
We call on the democracies of the world to stand with the Chinese people in their desire to be free and have their human rights respected recognizing that the advancement of Chinese relations with the democracies of the world depends on the advancement of human rights in China.
Finally, we call for the immediate release of all Chinese prisoners of conscience and in particular those still imprisoned for taking part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations that remain imprisoned twenty years later such as Li Yujun, Zhu Gengsheng, Shi Xuezhi, Li Zhixin, Chang Jingqiang, Wu Chunqi, Yang Pu and Miao Deshun.
Miami, Florida June 3, 2009
1. Julio A. Menache, Free Cuba Foundation, Florida International University 2011
2. Juan Carlos Sanchez, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2011
3. Pedro Ross, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2009
4. Susana Navajas, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2010
5. Jennifer Grau, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2009
6. John Suarez, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 1996
7. Neri Ann Martinez, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2005
8. Rebecca Martinez-Arguello, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2007
9. Isaac Martinez, Free Cuba Foundation, FIU 2006
10. CAUSA: Students United for a Free Cuba, University of Miami
11. Silvia Sarasua, Miami Friends of Tibet
12. Jian Hu, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
13. Sherwood Liu, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
14. Linda Li, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
15. Nancy Xia, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
16. Victoria Wu, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
17. Yanling Zhang , Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
18. Edie Bassen, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
19. Regina Finnegan, PhD, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
20. Marcus Green, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
21. Kay Harmon, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
22. Diana Crouch, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
23. Kent McKinney, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
24. David W. Lee, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
25. Paulene Jasurek, Falun Dafa Practitioners Association of FL
27. Prof. Antonio Romero Piriz Red Uruguaya por Democracia para Cuba
28. Aramis L. Perez, Young Cubans in Action
29. Belkis Landa-Gonzalez, Ed.D, OTR/L Miami, FL
30. Tina Giamei-Valera Florida Tech Univ.Free Cuba Foundation co-president Julio Menache reads out text of the statement... more
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The Free Cuba Foundation FIU, FIU Students for a Free Tibet, and UM CAUSA: Students United for a Free Cuba, Falun Gong, and Miami Friends of Tibet presented the documentary "Tank Man" holding a discussion ending in a candlelight vigil reading off a partial list of victims with Cui Jian's Nothing to My Name playing in the background on June 3, 2009 and a moment of silence that ended at 10:31pm. A minute after the tanks entered the square and shooting began 20 years ago.The Free Cuba Foundation FIU, FIU Students for a Free Tibet, and UM CAUSA: Students... more
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She offers an interesting overview of US policy from George HW Bush to the Obama Administration.She offers an interesting overview of US policy from George HW Bush to the Obama... more
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According to the Financial Times, copies of the International Herald Tribune and the South China Morning Post featuring coverage of Tiananmen were shredded and that "BBC News broadcasts were blacked out on Monday night. Last Saturday's edition of the Financial Times, which contained an interview with Bao Tong, the most prominent Tiananmen-era dissident still residing in China, was either not delivered to subscribers or censored."According to the Financial Times, copies of the International Herald Tribune and the... more
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Yesterday at the University of Miami, Tenzin Gayden, Students for a Free Tibet expressed his "solidarity and understand your feeling for the Chinese brothers and sisters who went through all this trouble twenty years ago. I am third generation
Tibetan and I speak freely in front of you, but in Tibet there voices are being suppressed - they do not have the right to speak they do not have any human rights."
The Free Cuba Foundation FIU, FIU Students for a Free Tibet, and UM CAUSA: Students United for a Free Cuba, presented the documentary "Tank Man" at the Whitten Learning Center Room 192 at the University of Miami on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 holding a discussion on human rights in China which called for a human rights centered not commerce centered approach. This followed a candlelight vigil which began playing two songs (Nothing to my name and Piece of red cloth) that were played in Tiananmen Square days prior to the massacre by Chinese rocker Cui Jian while a partial list of the names of the victims were read off and a moment of silence coinciding with the start of the military assault on the square at 10:30pm..Yesterday at the University of Miami, Tenzin Gayden, Students for a Free Tibet... more
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Their demonstrations were centered on the historic Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where the iconic image of a lone man standing in front of a tank was beamed around the world. Now in an apparent act of contrition, the government has teamed up with McDonald's to commemorate the brutally crushed rebellion with a new representation of the scene.
http://thestupidtimes.blogspot.com/2009/06/china-marks-tiananmen-square-with.htmlTheir demonstrations were centered on the historic Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where... more
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Perhaps China's communist government have a soft spot for Rihanna or Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain. That can be the only explanation for their bizarre attempt to censor CNN's John Vause as he tried to film a report from Tiananmen Square earlier.
Kudos to the authorities for making such a serious topic as that infamous massacre twenty years ago, so inadvertently comical. Harry Hill eat your heart out!
Hit the link (as I couln't embed it!) - this is a 'must see' videoPerhaps China's communist government have a soft spot for Rihanna or Gene Kelly in... more
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Mr. Chen and his comrades had just been given chilling orders: to clear the symbolic heart of the nation, even if it meant spilling blood.
Twenty years after Chinese troops shot their way into the center of Beijing, killing hundreds of people and wounding many more, Mr. Chen provided a rare window into the military crackdown that re-established the Communist Party’s supremacy after six weeks of mass unrest and then, for most Chinese, disappeared in an official whitewash.
Speaking publicly for the first time — and defying security officials who have told him to keep silent — he explained how soldiers from the 65th Group Army dressed in civilian clothes on June 3 and stealthily made their way to the Great Hall on Tiananmen Square’s western edge. At midnight, with clips of ammunition slung across their chests, they faced off against demonstrators, the air filled with the singing of students and the sound of gunfire.Mr. Chen and his comrades had just been given chilling orders: to clear the symbolic... more
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Twenty years ago images of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square were broadcast around the world.
But behind the confrontation on the streets was a struggle within China's Communist Party itself.
As Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng reports from Beijing, the struggle continues today.Twenty years ago images of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in... more
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A new site called Herdict, which was developed by Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, is now effectively providing users everywhere a glimpse behind the digital curtain. Herdict – a portmanteau of “herd” and “verdict” – harnesses the experiences of thousands of users, and produces a dynamic, regularly updated report on global web accessibility. The site was launched in February, but it’s getting one of its first major tests today, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square disaster.
Herdict users individual reports from users to measure the level of restriction on any given day. Today, unsurprisingly, the outlook is pretty grim. According to Herdict, 171 users have reported Twitter down. 110 users have written to say that YouTube was inaccessible; 64 can’t get onto blogger.com.
On a chart that measures web inaccessibility over the past month, China’s levels are spiking – hard. But before June 2, levels remained relatively flat. The same thing can’t be said for Iran. In that country, users have consistently reported widespread outages, across a wide range of sites. As of this afternoon, 110 sites had been reported inaccessible, with 44 unique instances.A new site called Herdict, which was developed by Harvard’s Berkman Center for... more
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Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: US Embassy Beijing, and All Diplomatic and Consular Posts, TFCHO1: SITREP 1, 1700 EDT (June 3, 1989)
PLA MOVES ON TIANANMEN, CASULATIES HIGH. EMBASSY BEIJING REPORTS THAT TROOPS USING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS ADVANCED IN TANKS, APCS AND TRUCKS FROM SEVERAL DIRECTIONS ON TIANANMEN SQUARE JUNE 3. THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE RESISTENCE BY DEMONSTRATORS, AND THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES APPEARS HIGH.
Cable, From: US Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, SITREP No. 32: The Morning of June 4 (June 4, 1989)
"ABOUT 0330 HOURS LOCAL TROOPS WERE IN CONTROL OF TIANANMEN SQUARE, BUT PEOPLE REMAINED IN THE SURROUNDING STREETS. SPORADIC GUNFIRE CONTINUED TO BE HEARD THROUGHOUT THE CITY. BY 0430 TROOPS HAD TAKEN UP POSITION ACROSS CHANGAN BOULEVARDE FACING EAST WITH A LINE OF APCS BEHIND THEM. STUDENTS IN TURN LINED UP ON CHANGAN BOULVEVARDE FACING WEST TOWARDS THE TROOPS. MEANWHILE A LARGE CONVOY OF TROOPS BEGAN ENTERING TIANANMEN SQUARE FROM THE WEST. SOME TEN THOUSAND TROOPS IN THE SQUARE FORMED CONCENTRIC RINGS. ONE FACING INWARD TOWARDS SOME THREE THOUSAND REMAINING DEMONSTRATORS, AND THE OTHER FACING OUTWARD. AT 0530 A COLUMN OF ABOUT 50 APCS, TANKS AND TRUCKS ENTERED TIANANMEN FROM THE EAST. DEMONSTRATORS SHOUTED ANGRILY AT THE CONVOY AND PLA TROOPS IN TIANANMEN OPENED A MASSIVE BARRAGE OF RIFLE AND MACHINE GUN FIRE.
Cable, From: US Embassy Beijing, To: Department of State, Wash DC, Eyewitness Account of June 4 PLA Tank Crushing 11 Students and Related Early Morning Events in Tiananmen Square (June 22, 1989)
THE STUDENT SAID THAT ON JUNE 4 AROUND 2AM HE WAS POSITIONED IN ... THE AVENUE OF LASTING PEACE, JUST NORTH OF THE EAST END OF THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE. HIS YOUNGER BROTHER WAS ELSEWHERE IN THE SQUARE. THEY HAD BOTH BEEN THERE FOR MANY DAYS... THE STUDENTS BELIEVED THAT WHEN THE TROOPS CAME IN THEY WOULD FIRE RUBBER BULLETS. CONSEQUENTLY MANY STUDENTS IN THE FIRST LINE OF BARRICADES... HELD UP PADDED COATS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE PROJECTILES. HOWEVER THE FIRST LINES OF STUDENTS FELL AFTER THE TROOPS OPENED FIRE. THE STUDENT SAID HE HAD ALSO BEEN CONVINCED THAT RUBBER BULLETS WOULD BE USED. HE HAD A SICKENING FEELING WHEN HE NOTICED THE BULLETS STRIKING SPARKS OFF THE PAVEMENT NEAR HIS FEET. HE SAID THAT HE SAW MANY STUDENTS FALL...
... THE STUDENT SAID THAT WITHOUT WARNING THE TANKS STARTED TOWARDS THEM. ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET TANK NUMBER [ILLEGIBLE] PRESUMABLY BUT NOT NECESSARILY OF THE 6TH TANK DIVISION WHICH IS KNOWN TO HAVE ENTERED THAT NIGHT FROM THE WEST SUDDENLY DID A U-TURN NEAR THE TELEGRAPH BUILDING ENTRANCE, WHERE THE STUDENT AND MANY OTHERS HAD GONE FOR REFUGE.
... TANK NUMBER [ILLEGIBLE] THEN RACED BACK (*QUICKER THAN A PUBLIC BUS USUALLY DOES*) INTO OTHER ONCOMING STUDENTS MARCHING WEST. THE STUDENT SAID ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES ATTEMPTED TO LEAP THE SOUTH FENCE ONLY SUCCEEDED IN HANGING ONTO THE FENCE. HIS LEGS WERE CUT OFF.
AFTER SOME SORT OF GAS BOMB WAS THROWN FROM A TANK AND ALL THE TANKS HAD PASSED, THE STUDENT SAID HE WALKED OVER FROM THE TELEGRAPH BUILDING ENTRANCE TO COUNT THE BODIES SO THAT THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST ONE RELIABLE WITNESS LATER TO THE KILLINGS. HE SAID THAT THE BODIES WERE SMASHED FLAT, 11 IN ALL - JUST AS IN A DONALD DUCK CARTOON - EXCEPT THAT HE NOTICED THE BRAINS SQUISHED OUT BESIDE THE FLATTENED HEADS. A FEW BICYCLES IN THE GROUP WERE SMASHED TO CARICATURES OF VEHICLES. THE SIGHT WILL NEVER LEAVE HIM, HE SAID, AND HE HOPED THAT BY REPORTING IT, SOME DAY JUSTICE WOULD ULTIMATELY BE DONE IN AVENGING THESE DEATHS.Cable, From: Department of State, Wash DC, To: US Embassy Beijing, and All Diplomatic... more
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BEIJING — One of the principal student leaders of the 1989 pro-democracy movement flew Wednesday from Taiwan to the Chinese territory of Macau, saying he wanted to surrender to Chinese authorities after two decades in exile.
The former student leader, Wu’er Kaixi, was detained by immigration authorities at the Macau airport on the evening before the 20th anniversary of a bloody military crackdown in Beijing. He told several news agencies that he would return to Taiwan only if he was deported.
“His action is kind of an expression of anger and protest,” said Wang Dan, another former student leader, now living in the United States.
“Maybe this is his only way to return to China. For all of us, this is the only way.”
In a statement, Mr. Wu’er said his effort to turn himself in was “in no way whatsoever an acknowledgement of guilt in the eyes of the law.”
The statement continued: “I have made this decision because China will not let me return and my parents are prohibited from traveling abroad. I have not seen them in 20 years. China refused to engage in dialogue and I am hopeful that a trial at least would be a resumption of dialogue of some sort.” It described Mr. Wu’er as second on a list of the 21 most wanted student leaders.BEIJING — One of the principal student leaders of the 1989 pro-democracy movement... more
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A unique call to action:
TANK MAN TANGO
June 4 is the 20th anniversary of the massacre of protestors at Tiananmen Square. You are invited to participate in a memorial made of dancing bodies in cities around the world.
Tank Man Tango will be an echo across time and space, multiplied against forgetting; an image, a public participatory performance; an enduring archive.
On 4 June 2009, forget to forget. Do the Tank Man Tango.
http://www.forget2forget.com/here/A unique call to action:
TANK MAN TANGO
June 4 is the 20th anniversary of the... more
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