Beijing: In a rare acknowledgement of the massacre by the communist government on students and protestors at Tiananmen Square in 1989, the Chinese government said that the crackdown was the “correct policy” to stop the turbulence.
The Chinese Defence Minister, Wei Fenghe, made the unusual acknowledgement at a summit in Singapore on trade and security. The minister was replying to questions when someone from the audience quizzed the Chinese minister about the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Wei Fenghe said, “That incident was political turbulence and the central government took measures to stop the turbulence, which is a correct policy.”
He added, “The past 30 years have proven that China has undergone major changes. “ The minister also said that China enjoys stability and development because of the government’s action on the protestors.
The Chinese official’s statement comes as a surprise because China censors any mention of the event. The State does not allow any remembrance of the massacre in the country. Those caught are sentenced to 3 to 5 years in prison.
Tiananmen Square massacre is one of the deadliest and most brutal crackdowns on freedom in the history of China.
In 1989 around 1 million pro-democracy protestors began assembling in Tiananmen Square, a city square at the centre of Beijing which houses the Great Hall of People and other national monuments, in a peaceful protest to demand more freedom and to protest against high inflation, housing prices, salaries, etc.
It was one of the biggest political protests in China since the communist party took over the country in 1949. The peaceful protests lasted a full six weeks. The protestors also erected a statue of freedom opposite the giant portrait of Chairman Mao. The statue stood in defiance against the heavy power of the totalitarian government.
Protestors soon spread to other cities and universities of the country signalling the deep hatred the people had for the communist regime.
However, on 3 June, military tanks rolled towards the protests and began firing at the unarmed crowd of innocent Chinese who demanded more freedom. There is no official account of how many were killed in the massacre. But estimates say around hundreds to thousands were killed during military action. Reports say that tanks literally rolled over the protestors.
China has kept a lid over the true number of deaths and has censored any mention of the biggest protests in its history from ever being mentioned.
The Chinese government has a zero tolerance policy for democratic protests. The Chinese minister’s lack of empathy for the victims and his support of the government’s action of its military against the peaceful protests against its own citizens show the depth of totalitarianism that is present in the country.
Ironically, the communist parties in India, which support the totalitarianism of China, are the most vocal supporters of democracy and free speech in our country.
