China crackdown ahead of Tiananmen anniversary

AVERAGE INDIAN

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China has moved to muzzle any debate ahead of the 25th anniversary of the crackdown of the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square, detaining several dozen activists and scholars, imposing restrictions on universities, tightening censorship restrictions and boosting security deployments in the heart of the capital.

On the night of June 3, 1989, and in the early hours of June 4, hundreds were killed as the Communist Party of China (CPC) under then leader Deng Xiaoping crushed the students' protests by declaring martial law and sending in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to clear the square. Hundreds of ordinary Beijing residents, who had come out to support the calls for democracy and against corruption of leaders, were killed around the city as the troops moved in, firing at will.

China officially maintains the protests were a "counterrevolutionary riot" – a description that rankles with the parents and relatives of the protesters, who saw themselves as patriots and nationalists fighting against official corruption and authoritarianism.

The official position has changed little in the past 25 years. On Tuesday, the Chinese government said the "political turmoil" of 1989 was no longer relevant to today's China.

"The Chinese government long ago reached a conclusion about the political turmoil at the end of the 1980s," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters. "In the last three decades of reform and opening up, China's enormous achievements in social and economic development have received worldwide attention. The building of democracy and the rule of law have continued to be perfected," he said.

Mr. Hong said China's "socialism with Chinese characteristics" model was suited to "China's national conditions and the basic interests of the vast majority".

In 25 years since the Tiananmen Square crackdown, China has indeed seen breakneck economic growth and unprecedented prosperity, as millions have been lifted out of poverty. Former leader Deng Xiaoping carried out his famous "southern tour" to open up the southern manufacturing zones barely three years after the crackdown.

Yet, despite the transformative changes since 1989, the CPC still does not allow any discussion or debate about the events of 25 years ago.

School textbooks and newspapers never mention the event, and many younger Chinese are entirely unaware of the tumultuous protests of 1989 because of the vast censorship regulations in place.

Ironically, the only indicator of the anniversary every year is the sweeping security blanket that is deployed across the capital every year. Thousands of security volunteers, usually retirees, are deployed to watch over the streets, while SWAT teams are stationed in the main street corners surrounding the famous square.

Every year, dozens of people who are seen as being politically active in any way are detained ahead of the anniversary – they include lawyers, the small group of civil rights activists, who are pushing for political liberalisation, and ordinary citizens from the provinces, who travel to Beijing to petition higher authorities to have their grievances heard.

Before the sensitive 25th anniversary, the crackdown has been more severe than usual, activists say. Close to 50 people have been detained in the past month in more than half a dozen cities, according to the group Human Rights in China, including activists, lawyers, journalists and petitioners.

Last week, Wang Aizhong, an activist in southern Guangzhou, was detained for "provoking troubles", while in western Chongqing, journalist Xin Jian, a news assistant for Japan's Nikkei news, was taken from her home, reportedly for coverage related to the anniversary.

Among those detained are the civil rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, writer and blogger Liu Di and scholar Xu Youyu, who attended a commemoration event in Beijing in May.

One petitioner from southern Anhui province, who has travelled to Beijing on a number of occasions to protest land grabs told The Hindu in a telephone interview he had been warned not to make the trip to Beijing during this "sensitive period".

The restrictions have even been felt on Chinese university campuses, where protest movements are, 25 years on, unheard of.

According to one student at a prominent Beijing university, students have been told to not participate in any public events on June 4.

"We've been told to stay in our dormitories," the student said.

China crackdown ahead of Tiananmen anniversary - The Hindu
 

tramp

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the communist party has so much to hide.... therefore, it will continue to suppress any form of commemoration. but there will come a day when the people will defy the party and its bulldog, the PLA, and march to Tiananmen. there will be bloodshed but finally the party will be wiped out just like what happened in India's west bengal and to some extent in kerala. that will be the fate of all organisations that resist change.
 

no smoking

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the communist party has so much to hide.... therefore, it will continue to suppress any form of commemoration. but there will come a day when the people will defy the party and its bulldog, the PLA, and march to Tiananmen. there will be bloodshed but finally the party will be wiped out just like what happened in India's west bengal and to some extent in kerala. that will be the fate of all organisations that resist change.
It is not your concern!
Please mind your own business!
 

Voldemort

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I wonder how much the Chinese public has been brainwashed by the authoritarian regime!
 

shiphone

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who is best brainwashing player? of course, the Western countries are...

Discourse power is in their hands...the brainwashed people were not only within their land but also anywhere their media could effecte...

and such simple fact was ignorant to those brainwashed audiences ...pity indeed...

try to earn more money... traval to more places in this world and avoiding "imaging" the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig world outside your home in front your PC screens...LOL
 

Ray

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who is best brainwashing player? of course, the Western countries are...

Discourse power is in their hands...the brainwashed people were not only within their land but also anywhere their media could effecte...

and such simple fact was ignorant to those brainwashed audiences ...pity indeed...

try to earn more money... traval to more places in this world and avoiding "imaging" the biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig world outside your home in front your PC screens...LOL
English is the language followed on this forum.

What exactly are you wanting to state?

Are you suggesting that the western countries are best at brainwashing?

And that China is best at keeping all, including its citizens, from knowing the truth and facts?

I haven't really got what you want to say and I wonder if anyone else has.

If so, could someone clear the air?
 
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Ray

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I wonder how much the Chinese public has been brainwashed by the authoritarian regime!
I don't think the Chinese are a brainwashed Nation.

I feel that they are only encouraged to think in the direction that the CPC desires and the CPC provides the means and instruments to move the people in the direction the CPC wants. All very nicely with adequate encouragement to think in one line.

Those who cannot understand the beauty of the system to think alike are sent for reformation in the the Education through Labour camps. That stint is adequate to transform the person to understand the joys of the Communist system.
 

shiphone

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I feel that they are only encouraged to think in the direction that the CPC desires and the CPC provides the means and instruments to move the people in the direction the CPC wants. All very nicely with adequate encouragement to think in one line.
this well explained how the Western media did to brainwash The people...LOL... and some idiots are enjoying such encouraged thinking direction all the time...very ironic indeed...

the world is too big and complex for the idiots to judge it with the BLACK and White standard.
 
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Voldemort

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I don't think the Chinese are a brainwashed Nation.

I feel that they are only encouraged to think in the direction that the CPC desires and the CPC provides the means and instruments to move the people in the direction the CPC wants. All very nicely with adequate encouragement to think in one line.

Those who cannot understand the beauty of the system to think alike are sent for reformation in the the Education through Labour camps. That stint is adequate to transform the person to understand the joys of the Communist system
They dont have any freedom of speech or expression. On this forum, I can criticise my govt. Can they do that? They are OK with the system they are living in. They are living in a cage and they are happy. Hell, they roll tanks over their own people. What is this other than brainwashing? Not only are they 'encouaged' to toe the CPC line, they are being 'forced' to do so.
 

t_co

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They dont have any freedom of speech or expression.
*any* freedom of speech or expression? false

On this forum, I can criticise my govt. Can they do that?
Yes. Learn some Chinese and go read Sina Weibo - there are tons of posts that criticize the government, and the US-backed greatfire.org itself admits that less than 1% of them get censored.

They are OK with the system they are living in. They are living in a cage and they are happy.
All citizens of all nations live in a set of written and unwritten restrictions.

Hell, they roll tanks over their own people. What is this other than brainwashing? Not only are they 'encouaged' to toe the CPC line, they are being 'forced' to do so.
The tank-rolling was not to tell people to toe the line, but to tell them that no matter what they thought of the government or its policies, occupying the streets and actively obstructing policy execution would bring down the hammer of unlimited force against them. As a result, the CPC has been able to push through 25 years of massive and sometimes painful economic reform with an unchecked political mandate, something no other government on Earth has been able to exercise.
 

t_co

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don't call it an incident cause it was a massacre
A massacre means one side didn't fight back. That wasn't the case at Tiananmen - zealots on the student side were hurling petrol bombs at soldiers, and inflicted over two dozen deaths on them and the Beijing police. There is a very famous video of students breaking into a burned-out bus that carried soldiers, hauling out the bodies, and stringing them up from highway overpasses.
 

Compersion

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What's the point also who cares - what happens today is not ultimately what PRC people will think tomorrow. Today Tiananmen Square massacre is defended by PRC people and tomorrow who knows. Today PRC leader make decisions that no one knows how PRC people will represent tomorrow.

Cultural Revolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Capitalist roader - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Zǒu zīběn zhǔyì dàolù dídàng quánpài) is a person or group who demonstrates a marked tendency to bow to pressure from Bourgeois forces and subsequently attempts to pull the Revolution in a capitalist direction.


 

Voldemort

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*any* freedom of speech or expression? false



Yes. Learn some Chinese and go read Sina Weibo - there are tons of posts that criticize the government, and the US-backed greatfire.org itself admits that less than 1% of them get censored.



All citizens of all nations live in a set of written and unwritten restrictions.



The tank-rolling was not to tell people to toe the line, but to tell them that no matter what they thought of the government or its policies, occupying the streets ..
Firstly, do everyone a favour and dont drag your 'economic success story' into this. This is a very common disease with the Chinese- obsession with economy. Secondly, you know no one is going to learn Chinese to read up stuff in Chinese social net sites. Since you insist that you can criticise/bash up your govt, I say why dont you do it here? I dare you to abuse/bash up your govt/CPC. Of course Im going to spread your posts everywhere. That way, you will be able to let the world know that freedom of speech exists in China. What say?
 

no smoking

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Firstly, do everyone a favour and dont drag your 'economic success story' into this. This is a very common disease with the Chinese- obsession with economy.
Well, this is a very common disease with every country's public--obsession with economy except the well-feed Indian members in this forum.

Secondly, you know no one is going to learn Chinese to read up stuff in Chinese social net sites.
Well, that is your problem, isn't it? You are commenting on their social life based on second-hand knowledge.

Since you insist that you can criticise/bash up your govt, I say why dont you do it here?
Why here? Criticizing Chinese government is aiming to help Chinese public, not to raise popularity in a foreign country! Certainly, we should say it in Chinese which Chinese government can have best understanding, on a domestic Chinese website where Chinese government could hear it most likely.

I dare you to abuse/bash up your govt/CPC. Of course Im going to spread your posts everywhere. That way, you will be able to let the world know that freedom of speech exists in China. What say?
You can do whatever you want with these post, we really don't care. What we are really sick of is that the foreigners like you are so keen on talking about the "freedom" among Chinese public when you are clearly giving no damn about any single part of life of Chinese public.

You got far more your own countrymen living in a miserable life. So, please, spend more time on discussing and helping them.
 

Voldemort

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Haha. I knew you wouldn't do it or your fate wouldnt be any better than the tank man. So much for freedom of speech.
 

Ray

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There is no doubt that it was a massacre.

Hurling petrol bombs and being crushed by tanks and killed by bullets.
 

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