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Andrew Kelly / Reuters
Protesters lay in front of a mock tank as part of a demonstration in New York on Sunday to mark the 23rd anniversary of the The Tiananmen Square protest in China.
The United States urged China to free all those still jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations on the 23rd anniversary of the brutal crackdown.
State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner issued a statement late on Sunday calling on the Chinese government on Sunday "to provide a full public accounting of those killed, detained or missing."
The statement said the U.S. "joins the international community in remembering the tragic loss of innocent lives" -- a comment unlikely to be welcomed by China’s ruling Communist Party.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are believed to have died when the government sent in tanks and soldiers to clear Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4, 1989, violently crushing six weeks of protests.
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More than two decades later, Beijing still considers the incident a "counter revolutionary rebellion" and has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing or consider compensation for those killed, The Australian newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, China censors blocked internet access to the terms "six four," "23," "candle" and "never forget" on Monday, broadening extensive efforts to silence talk about the anniversary.
Searches for the terms related to the anniversary, such as "six four" for June 4, were blocked on Sina Weibo, the most popular of China's Twitter-like microblogging platforms. Users encountered a message that said the search results could not be displayed "due to relevant laws, regulations and policies."
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"It's that day again and once more numerous posts are being deleted," a Sina microblogger wrote. Sina was not immediately available for comment.
China's censors also blocked access to the term "Shanghai stock market" on microblogs after the index fell a bizarre 64.89 points on the anniversary.
PhotoBlog: Thousands remember Tiananmen Square crackdown
In another twist, the Shanghai Composite Index opened at 2346.98 points on the 23rd anniversary of the killings in either a deft piece of manipulation or an uncanny double coincidence. The numbers 46.98 are June 4, 1989, backwards.
"Whoa, these figures are too freaky! Very cool!" said a microblogger. "The opening figure and the drop are both too creepy," said another.
For more coverage of China, see Behind The Wall
The anniversary of the date on which troops shot their way into central Beijing in 1989 has never been publicly marked in mainland China.
The government has never released a death toll of the crackdown, but estimates from human rights groups and witnesses range from several hundred to several thousand.
Yao Jianfu, author of a new book of interviews with Chen Xitong, the Beijing mayor at the time of the crackdown, told Reuters that Chen had said "this was a tragedy that should have been averted but wasn't".
"I never foresaw there would be shooting, because Mao Zedong said that ordinary people should not be shot at and suppressing student protests comes to no good," said Yao.
An elderly Chinese man has forced work to stop on a building development in the Chinese city of Kunming. The 70-year-old has turned his home into a fortress, and is fighting against eviction. ITN's Angus Walker reports.
The government has restricted the movements of dozens of dissidents, former prisoners and petitioners during the anniversary period and warned them against speaking to journalists or organizing activities, said Songlian Wang of rights group Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
A coalition of lawyers and rights activists began a one-day fast in their homes on Monday to commemorate the anniversary, said a Shandong-based lawyer, Liu Weiguo.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong, said organizers, who had erected a replica of the Goddess of Democracy that was built in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Chinese tourists stopped on Tiananmen Square shook their heads and appeared mystified when asked about the anniversary. There were no obvious signs of extra security on the already well-guarded square.
But a trinket vendor said he was well aware what day it was. "Do foreigners also know about June 4?" he asked a Reuters reporter in a hushed tone, looking around to make sure nobody heard him. "I think it is important we remember but nobody will talk about it now."
Reuters and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
to be a fly on the wall during that urging...uuhhhmmmm eeeexxxxcccuuussee mmmmeee, iiissssss iiiitttt ooookkk wwiiithh yyoouuu, Iiiifff weeee teeelllll ooouuuurrr vvvvoootterrsss, wwweee uuurrrgggeeddd yoouuu ttttoooo bbbee mmmmooorrrreeee hhhhuuummaaannnneee
China owns the U.S. They are now our creditors. Lets hope they don't foreclose!
this has nothing to do with the U.S caring for humanity.
the U.S and China are flexing right now.
this article and the story itself is just U.S propoganda to try to make itself look good in the face of conflict. china is saying to themselves "oh please enough of your bullsh"
whats really the story is the stuff hidden behind these headlines........................
China, you have come so far, give a little bit more freedom and the people will be much happier. Really, do you need to stay a dictatorship for so long?
they are more of a one-party democracy than dictatorship...the communist party chooses thier leader, but he really doesn't have the power of a dictator...that is still held by the party structure
Mr. PheaNiques, what you described is called "one-party dictatorship" that controls entire China from top to bottom.
The United States has more people in prisons than China.
denver bill 2,
Tha tis because China executes more people that ALL the other Countries in the World combined...
The Dui Hua Foundation estimated that 5,000 people were executed in China during 2009...
Amnesty said in its report last year that China had executed at least 1,718 people in 2008, nearly three-fourths of the 2,390 executions worldwide that year.
reference - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/world/asia/31execute.html?_r=1
Maybe we should start executing some drug dealers and pedophiles.
AC Robertson
From a 2008 article, America has 700k more prisoners (with 1/4 the population). Admittedly, I doubt China would number their political dissidents. Unless they executed people a lot more liberally, I don't think the idea that China has fewer prisons because of executions is that plausible. I think the reality is that there is less crime?
Have you even been in China?
China now needs stability, not the so-called Western democracy. Look at those events around China's territory. People are not idiots.
Actually, people are idiots. Our government and the politicians won't seriously do squat to force China to stop violating their people, because the BIG MONEY capitalists make huge profits by using cheap Chinese labor, and $$$ controls it all. (MADE IN CHINA)
Give it another 100 years....it will eventually change.
@a natural being, so your saying Democracy doesn't have it's Little Nepolians to.
Man 'O' MAN! Keep your nose out of other peoples business. If China wants to go on and live in denial let them.
It is no concern of ours. Rubbing there noses with this I think only makes mattters worse.
The nations of the world if they wanted could anounce a moment for the world to stop. Ask the world to stop. Stop for a moment to reconize what did happen to those at Tiananmein Square 1989 and that to this day people remain imprisioned because of what government can do as reaction which isn't the best thing for any government to do. Ask the governments seek and continue to respect and protect rightsfor it's citizens to live more freely and acept challenges from there internal citizenships so that growth, and good health will bring prosperity to all.
They can ask that ALL govenrments do better.
Let the WORLD take a moment in remberance.
Let China see what effects have on the world by the way which they live.
All the USA needs to do is to stop trade with China....but BIG MONEY and capitalism run the politicians and the people can go to hell!
It's not politicians and corporate CEO's that are buying Reeboks.
Would somebody please stuff a sock in Hillery's mouth.
Don't slight Hillary! They all just play chin music for the masses of people, who are asses.
I didn't see anything that Hillary was forwarding this message.
I wonder what the WH's reaction would be if another country started telling us to release those in Guantanamo?
They have been doing so and you see what they've done? what they want to.
American-2051576.
That's exactly what President Obama and the Senate was spewing before he was elected into office. For some reason it remains open to this day?
Let a sleeping dog lay.
The United States needs to stop meddling in the affairs of other nations.
The United States too has many faults of it's own.
There is enough guilt on everybodys shoulders to go around.
The world at least the govenrments of the world are not perfect. At most we are only human and one never knows what one will do to another for any rime or reason.
Live and let live. Can't we all just get along?
We have enough of our own problems. Our 4th and 5th amendment rights being trampled on for example. Get rid of the Patriot Act. We are spying on our own. Sounds like the Gestapo. Another fine bill brought to you by our facist right, and extended by our radical left.
If you are doing nothing wrong or sneaky and it's keeping your butt secure, why let it bother you.
6dogs,
Tell that to the Jews in Germany in 1936. Oops ..... too late.
The U.S. needs to get its own house in order before it criticizes other countries over what are essentially internal matters. What good does it do to provoke China? Are we trying to convince the Chinese that we truly are their enemy? Good luck with that!
According to this article, "There were no obvious signs of extra security on the already well-guarded square."
Fortunatly the TRUTH is being reported in other countries media...
Chinese authorities have rounded up hundreds of activists in the capital Beijing, rights campaigners said on Monday, as they marked the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
"They brought in a lot of buses and were rounding up petitioners at the Beijing South rail station on Saturday night," Zhou Jinxia, a petitioner from northeast China's Liaoning province told AFP.
"There were between 600 to 1,000 petitioners from all over China. We were processed, we had to register and then they started sending people back to their home towns."
Police made it clear that the round up of petitioners -- people who gather at central government offices in Beijing to seek redress for rights violations in their localities -- was to prevent them from protesting on June 4, she said...
reference - http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/296504/china-rounds-up-activists-on-tiananmen-anniversary
Lets take a closer look at the results of the Communist Chinese influences in Asia...
1. Tibet invaded and is still occupied with on-going violent suppression of the people...
2. North Korea is still at War with South Korea, and US Troops are still on the ground...
3. The USA is the only thing keeping Taiwan from becoming another Tibet...
4. Cambodia is still recovering from the Chinese backed Pol Pot genocide, which required Vietnam's assistance to terminate...
5. Laos is ruled by the Communist Pathet Lao who were backed by the USSR & others, sense 1975...
6. The Myanmar Government is socialist with close ties to China. Though this is presently being down-played to gain world acceptance...
7. Vietnam has been invaded by China 17+times, and their association with the USA is the only thing keeping China at bay... see http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/06/the-vietnam-solution/8969/
8. The Nepal government elected the Communist Party (Maoist) in 2006 and is currently experiencing civil unrest, due to the expanding Chinese influences...
9. Currently there are numerous military stand-offs due to China's natural resource grabs in; India, the West Philippine Sea, the North & South China Sea, etc, etc. For the latest Spratly news - http://interceder.net/latest_news/china-philippines-spratly
10. BOTH Thailand and the Philippines governments have had Political leaders with Chinese heritage and extensive business ties. In fact the 2006 Coup in Thailand was due to PM Tuksins growing connections with the Chinese. Both countries have extensive business ties with the Chinese, through trade and joint business ownership...
11. One of the main reasons to form ASEAN was to have a COMBINED community to fight the stronger outside influences of; China, India, USA, etc, etc...
12. While the USA is fighting the Muslim extremist, that they funded and armed, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. China has been building deep-water ports, developing natural resources, and conducting joint military exercises with Pakistan...
But what the hell, China, according to them, has never invaded another country... Ha! Ha!
AC robertson finally shows his true colors and gives up all the subtleties.
No doubt he is an avid China basher.
I just need to know one thing, was Frankenstein Jewish ?
The USA has by far the greatest amount of people jailed in the world, currently over 22% higher than second most Russia per capita. Yet the USA makes noise about those jailed in other countries like it's some sort of great moral stand? If you want to make a ruckus about the unjustly jailed, start with the poor sap in California who is doing 25 to life for stealing a slice of pizza.
We need to vote on China with our feet - Let Apple and all the others that we want product made in the US - by real people - not captives living in factory dorms - who can rise out of bed int he middle of the night to meet a manufacturing deadline - while subsisting on 2 biscuits and a cup of tea. Then China will listen - and it will be good for the US - I would love to see someone begin a campaing of mailing mini American flags to Apple- until they get the idea - and it's not about raising the cost of the product - it's about lowering the billions those greedy bastards make!
Dear USA, start to worry about your own affairs. Nobody gives a prat ass what you think or say.
Another blatant interference of China's internal affair.
US should mind her own business and stop poking her nose at somewhere she doesn't belong.
At least China refrains from criticising US human right abuse at Guantanamo, Abu Greib, rendition and war of aggression in Iraq and Afganistan resulting in the death of over a million civilians.0
We have our own problems! We need to quit being the police of the world.... I feel sorry for the people in other countries like Syria, China and everywhere else but we have serious problems within our country.
Possibly China should urge the United States to release the thousands of political prisoners it is holding all around the world. From Guantanamo Bay to Iraq and Afghanistan without charge or legal representation. At least those charged in China had a trial and legal representation.
As a follow up the Chinese should also urge the United States to stop assassinating it's own citizens for political motives!!!!!!!!
Can we call the USA a two party dictatorship?
This an example how we try to meddle in other countries bus. and not worrying about our own,When are we going to pay attention to the American people problems , and leave other countries alone, And we call Russia and China bad names , Now this cuber Attack from Israel and the US on Iran , And you wonder why IRAN want to build NUKES , And we are going into Syria and Arm the same people that we trying to kill in part of the world , Strange !!!! When are we going to stand up for our politician's , and make them answer to us about their actions , Just because we voted them in , That does not mean they can play with our lives and our troops lives , and they spend our money to countries that they get benefit from . You the it looks now , there are so much division between the Democrats and the Republicans to point that they hate each other , and neither side working for the American people , Its all personal and their loyalty to other countries . We need to vote them all out , We need to WAKE UP before its too late .