China stays firm on Tiananmen verdict

4 Jun 2009, 6:22 pm   -   Source: AFP
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China has never released a full list of casualties from the massacre (AP)

China has never released a full list of casualties from the massacre (AP)

China remains firm on its verdict on the Tiananmen protest and its aftermath, the foreign ministry said, 20 years after the bloody army crackdown.

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China remains firm on its verdict on the Tiananmen protest and its aftermath, the foreign ministry said, 20 years after the bloody army crackdown.

"As for the political incident that took place in China and all related issues, our party and government have already come to a clear conclusion," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regular briefing.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands were killed when the Communist leadership decided to send tanks and soldiers to quell weeks of pro-democracy protests in the heart of Beijing in June 1989.

No change

At the time of the crackdown, the Communist Party called the Tiananmen movement a "counterrevolutionary rebellion", and it has not strayed from this verdict ever since.

When asked whether the government would ever reassess that verdict, Qin ignored the question.

China remains adamant that the policies it has pursued over the past two decades were correct, and that it has been vindicated by the country's newfound wealth and prestige.

"The facts prove that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics we embarked on is consistent with the actual conditions in China and is... a reflection of the fundamental interests of the Chinese people," he said.

'Strong dissatisfaction' over Clinton Tiananmen remarks

China voiced "strong dissatisfaction" over a call by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Beijing to publish the names of those killed or missing in the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989.

"The US action makes groundless accusations against the Chinese government. We express strong dissatisfaction," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a regular briefing.

Clinton Wednesday urged China to publish the names of those killed 20 years ago or who went missing, and called for the release of prisoners still detained for taking part in the peaceful pro-democracy protests.

No full casualty list

Hundreds, perhaps thousands lost their lives when China's army opened fire on unarmed protesters in Beijing in June 1989, but the government has never given a full, detailed account of the casualties.

"A China that has made enormous progress economically and is emerging to take its rightful place in global leadership 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," Clinton said in a statement.

Clinton also urged China to end harassment of the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of bereaved relatives campaigning to know more about the incident and for authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

The US Congress made a similar appeal in a nearly unanimous resolution approved the day before.
 

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