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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today called for China to reveal how many people were killed in Tiananmen Square.
The Chinese authorities have never held an official inquiry into the military suppression of the pro-democracy demonstration, 20 years ago today, in which thousands are believed to have died.
Mrs Clinton urged the Communist leadership to release those still in prison for taking part and to address human rights abuses as readily as it has undertaken economic reform.
In a markedly tougher line, Mrs Clinton said China "should examine openly the darker events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal".
She added: "China can honour the memory of that day by moving to give the rule of law, protection of internationally-recognised human rights, and democratic development the same priority as it has given to economic reform." Foreign Secretary David Miliband backed the calls saying that while China had made big improvements in economic and social rights, progress on political and civil rights had been "far slower".
The Chinese government has ringed Tiananmen Square with a massive police presence and launched a security crackdown as people gather around the world today to mark the student-led protest violently crushed by the military in 1989.
Social networking websites such as Twitter and Flickr have been shut down and foreign news channels blacked out in an attempt to prevent dissension or even online discussion of the event.
Democracy activists have also been placed under house arrest or forced to leave Beijing.
Authorities have been tightening surveillance of known dissidents for months. Ding Zilin, a retired professor whose teenage son was killed by the authorities, said a dozen officers have been blocking her and her husband from leaving their Beijing apartment.She said: "They won't even allow me to go out and buy vegetables. They've been so ruthless to us that I am utterly infuriated."
An exiled protest leader - famous for publicly haranguing one of China's top leaders 20 years ago - has also been blocked from returning home to confront officials over what he called the "June 4 massacre".
Wu'er Kaixi, in exile in Taiwan, tried to return to the Chinese mainland yesterday but was held in a detention centre and was told he would be deported.
Security officials checking passports also blocked foreign TV camera operators and photographers from entering the square and covering the raising of China's national flag, which happens at dawn every day.
Plainclothes officers aggressively confronted journalists on surrounding streets, cursing and threatening violence against them.
In Hong Kong, where the anniversary is openly commemorated, a second dissident prominent in the 1989 protests was denied entry.
Reader views (6)
The Chinese govt thinks that prosperity can be substituted for freedom. We, in India, may not be as prosperous, but we are free and don't envy the Chinese people who work under the BOOT!
gadre
- Eknath Gadre, India
students were so stupid.How could we chinese ,including 1,300,000,000 chinese people ,be ruled by these stupid students. Our China will become a grate power with the right policy by our party.The development during the past 30 years had proved that.
- Xt5156, gungdong
The students in Tiananmen went too far and too fast, I don't think they have clear picture about future and what they want from communist party and its government.
It's commonly understood as a big tragedy of the nation in China at moment, NOT as counterrevolution what the party called it at first.
- Huang, William, Shanghai, China
It would be better if Clinton asked Israel about its incursions in to The Palestinian lands and the settlement building but of course, Israel is not a Communist country so is allowed to do as it likes. Israel is a rogue state and needs to be well watched before it causes WW3.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK
Outwardly, China appears to have changed dramatically since staging the Olympic Games and emerging as a front-runner on the world´s economic stage, but below the surface they are as crafty, devious and sly as ever. It will be a long time before China finally comes clean about what happened during and after Tiananmen Square, if they ever do.
- Viper Pilot, Helmond, Netherlands
Brown is sitting at number 10 licking his lips. How he envies and admires the very repressive communist state. They are the ones backing the North Korean loonies.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
