Press Trust of India
Beijing, June 4: China Saturday silently observed the 27th anniversary of the Tiananmen square rebellion which witnessed a brutal military crackdown that led to a massacre of hundreds of students protesting against the ruling Communist Party. Security was stepped up around the iconic Tiananmen square here with police meticulously searching people entering the 109-acre area to ensure no posters and bills were carried to commemorate the event. The massive square which became famous all over the world with an iconic picture of a young man standing before a row of battle tanks in 1989 was Saturday filled with people.
The government defended the action saying that the “great achievements” made by China in the past three decades testify the righteousness of the path chosen by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Every year June 4 is seen as a stark reminder of the day when thousands of young people took over the streets of Beijing, challenging the might of the CPC and the military. The riots followed the death of one CPC’s reformist leaders Hu Yaobang who was forced to resign as Party General Secretary. The CPC which termed the protests counter revolutionary riots ordered the military to put down the rebellion following which heavy violence ensued. For its part the CPC and the government continued to reiterate that history has shown that the path chosen by the Party was right.
“With regard to political turmoil which took place in the 1980s the Chinese government has already reached a conclusion,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Friday when asked about the 27 years old events. “Great achievements have been made by China in the past thirty plus years with reform and opening up. Facts have proven that the development we have chosen meets the fundamental interest of China and Chinese people and satisfy the aspiration of entire Chinese nation,” Hua said, referring to China’s becoming the world’s second largest economy next only to the US.
