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| Tiananmen anniversary: Chinese police patrol square to stop commemorations | Tiananmen anniversary: Chinese police patrol square to stop commemorations |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Scores of plainclothes and uniformed police patrolled Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, while censors scrubbed material from the internet, as authorities sought to prevent any commemoration of the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests 25 years ago. | |
| Dozens of activists and other critics have already been placed under house arrest or detained by authorities in the runup to the anniversary of the 1989 massacre. | Dozens of activists and other critics have already been placed under house arrest or detained by authorities in the runup to the anniversary of the 1989 massacre. |
| Relatives of some of the hundreds or even thousands of victims were allowed to mourn at their graves, but only under police escort, said Zhang Xianling of the Tiananmen Mothers group. | Relatives of some of the hundreds or even thousands of victims were allowed to mourn at their graves, but only under police escort, said Zhang Xianling of the Tiananmen Mothers group. |
| "The wound is still very deep. And though we might now shed fewer tears than in the past, our conviction is even stronger," Zhang, whose teenage son Wang Nan was killed, told AP. | "The wound is still very deep. And though we might now shed fewer tears than in the past, our conviction is even stronger," Zhang, whose teenage son Wang Nan was killed, told AP. |
| "We must pursue justice for our loved ones." | "We must pursue justice for our loved ones." |
| The group wants the government to name the dead, overturn the official verdict that the events were a "counterrevolutionary riot", and allow families to mourn peacefully in public. | The group wants the government to name the dead, overturn the official verdict that the events were a "counterrevolutionary riot", and allow families to mourn peacefully in public. |
| But while the government would like to erase all memories of the crackdown, tens of thousands are expected to gather at a candlelit vigil to mourn the dead in Hong Kong – allowed to hold such assemblies, unlike people on the mainland, under the greater freedoms allowed to the region. Organisers have said they expect record attendance, with perhaps 150,000 gathering. | But while the government would like to erase all memories of the crackdown, tens of thousands are expected to gather at a candlelit vigil to mourn the dead in Hong Kong – allowed to hold such assemblies, unlike people on the mainland, under the greater freedoms allowed to the region. Organisers have said they expect record attendance, with perhaps 150,000 gathering. |
| Another, smaller vigil is expected in Taiwan. The president, Ma Ying-jeou, described the crackdown as "an enormous historical wound" and said China must redress the wrongs. | Another, smaller vigil is expected in Taiwan. The president, Ma Ying-jeou, described the crackdown as "an enormous historical wound" and said China must redress the wrongs. |
| Security has been tightened significantly at the square in recent weeks, in part following terrorist attacks in China. On Wednesday tourists queued at scanners and had their bags searched before they were allowed in. Uniformed police patrolled on segways and with dogs, while plainclothes officers squatted and waited or strolled about the square. | |
| Some foreign media were ordered to leave, and others were prevented from entering after police checked their passports. | Some foreign media were ordered to leave, and others were prevented from entering after police checked their passports. |
| Maya Wang, of Human Rights Watch, said this year's crackdown before the anniversary had been notably harsher, with more people affected and more detained by police rather than placed under house arrest. | |
| She added: "The government fears any acknowledgement or discussion of the incident would undermine the legitimacy of their version of events. | She added: "The government fears any acknowledgement or discussion of the incident would undermine the legitimacy of their version of events. |
| "Most people in China today don't want to talk about Tiananmen, believe in the official verdict or don't know about it – generally there's silence except for from a small minority of activists trying to keep the memory alive. In that sense the authorities have been quite successful. | "Most people in China today don't want to talk about Tiananmen, believe in the official verdict or don't know about it – generally there's silence except for from a small minority of activists trying to keep the memory alive. In that sense the authorities have been quite successful. |
| "But the same issues raised 25 years ago continue to dominate the grievances people raise today, such as lack of accountability and corruption." | "But the same issues raised 25 years ago continue to dominate the grievances people raise today, such as lack of accountability and corruption." |