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It is already June 4th in China at the time of this writing. It is another anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. This post serves as the gathering place for news related to the anniversary.
- Amnesty International: China: Tiananmen anniversary – looking forward means facing up to the past
- AIUSA: Tiananmen Square Victims Must Have Justice, Insists Amnesty International on 18th Anniversary of Massacre
- Human Rights in China: Tiananmen Mothers Roundtable Calls for Official Accountability
- US Department of State: Message on the Eighteenth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
- International Herald Tribune: Hong Kong activists expect bigger turnout at Tiananmen Square crackdown protest
- Reuters: Tiananmen quiet on anniversary of protest crackdown
- Radio Free Asia: Keep Up Pressure on China, Says Former Top Aide on Anniversary
- International Herald Tribune: Tiananmen Square survivors seek reform
- New York Times: Chinese Commemorate 18th Anniversary of Tiananmen Crackdown
- Newsweek: ‘The Dictatorship We Have to Confront’
- Voice of America: Vigil in Hong Kong Commemorates China’s Tiananmen Crackdown
- RFA – Mandarin Service (Simplified Chinese): “June 4th” – 18th Anniversary Special
It’s been almost a week since the Beijing Olympics new media regulations became effective on January 1st. Are there any significant changes for foreign journalists working in China? There was a mix of good and bad news in this first week. Bao Tong, the former aid of the Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, was approved by the government on January 1st to be interviewed by Reuters. Bao was jailed following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and he has been outspoken about the Chinese government since being kept under house arrest after he was released from prison in 1996. Refer to my earlier post for his latest essay published by Radio Free Asia.
On the other hand, human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was released from detention since he received a three-year suspended prison sentence on December 22nd but his whereabouts is unknown. RFA interviewed his family members and friends and the speculation is that the Chinese government kicked Gao out of Beijing a few days before the New Year so he would not be accessible to foreign journalists.
Two days ago, Wang Guoqing, vice-minister of the State Council Information Office told China Daily about the need to change government officials’ attitude from “managing” to “serving the media.” He cautioned that the change in attitude might not take place immediately outside of the major cities because many officials are used to the “Regulations on the Supervision of Foreign Journalists and Resident Foreign News Organs” enforced since 1990. He encouraged government officials from the local level to interact with the media more openly, like holding press conferences.
It seems to me there is a lot of talk but not enough action. Part of the new media regulations include the freedom to interview individuals or organizations with only their prior consent which has been contradicted by the Bao Tong’s interview since it was pre-approved. Reuters also requested to interview Shanghai lawyer Zheng Enchong but the request was denied because Zheng was stripped his political rights which means he is not allowed to talk to the media. And taking Gao Zhisheng out of Beijing is the new low of press freedom.
I am anxious to see whether any foreign journalists will be allowed to check out locations of recent social unrest because that’s where the real action is from the aftermath of China’s economic boom and years of human rights neglect.
Related news and links:
- China Digital Times: Bao Tong Allowed to Talk to Foreign Press
- RFA Mandarin service news brief (Simplified Chinese) on January 1st and 2nd covering the Reuters’ interview with Bao Tong
- China Digital Times: Gao Zhisheng Whereabouts Unknown
- RFA Mandarin service (Simplified Chinese): Gao Zhisheng might get expelled out of Beijing
- Gao Zhisheng’s blog (Simplified Chinese): Hu Jia’s post – Gao Zhisheng’s whole family got escorted out of Beijing (partial translation of the post shown in Global Voices)
- RFA Mandarin service (Simplified Chinese): Gao Zhisheng removed by police one week ago, whereabouts unknown
- China Daily: ‘Serve the media, not manage them’
- China Daily: Presenting the true picture of China (2-page interview with Wang Guoqing)
- BBC News: China wrestles with new media era
Imprisoning those who do not share the same point of views as the country leaders is not the only method to keep a person out of the public eye. House arrest is a popular strategy as we witness the many years of house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. In China, Zhao Ziyang was kept under house arrest after the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 when he was sympathetic toward the student demonstrators. And that’s how he spent the last fifteen years of his life (he died on January 17, 2005 after multiple strokes).
Zhao’s aid is experiencing similar fate. Bao Tong was arrested shortly before the the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989 and he was later sentenced to prison. After being released from prison in 1996, he was placed under house arrest. He continues to speak out for Zhao Ziyang. Recently, his essay was broadcasted on RFA’s Mandarin service.
RFA broadcast web postings of Bao Tong’s essay:
Speaking of Burma, a video of the wedding of the daughter of Burma’s military leader Than Shwe is posted on YouTube. While most Burmese are living in poverty, this video shows the exact opposite. Since internet use is restricted in Burma, only those of us outside of that country can see this.
Related links and news:
- Video posted on YouTube
- Video posted on Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based Burmese magazine
- BBC News: Burma leader’s lavish lifestyle aired
- Radio Free Asia: Fairytale Wedding of Burmese General’s Daughter
