HONG KONG: Thousands of Hong Kongers took part in a candlelight vigil Sunday for victims of the Chinese government’s 1989 brutal military crackdown on protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, while Taiwan’s leader called on Beijing to face up to the history, which is taboo on the mainland.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in posts on Facebook and Twitter that 28 years ago, the actions of students and citizens who challenged the political system in China “inspired a generation.”
She appealed to Beijing to “face up to June 4 with an open mind” and said Taiwan was willing to share its experiences of transitioning to democracy in the late 1980s to ease the pains of such a transition in the mainland.
“For democracy: Some are early, others are late, but we will all get there in the end,” she wrote on Twitter.
Hundreds if not thousands of unarmed protesters and onlookers were killed late on June 3 and the early hours of June 4, 1989, after China’s communist leaders ordered the military to retake Tiananmen Square from the student-led demonstrators.
Commemoration of the Tiananmen events, whether public or private, remains taboo in mainland China, where many are only dimly aware of what happened. But it’s openly discussed in the self-governing island of Taiwan and in Hong Kong, a special Chinese region with much autonomy and legally entrenched freedom of speech and other civil rights unseen on the mainland.
The annual evening vigil in Hong Kong, which regularly draws tens of thousands, is the only large-scale commemoration on Chinese territory of the bloodshed almost three decades ago.
“I don’t want this part of history to become blurred,” said office worker Emily Yu, 42, who was attending the gathering in Victoria Park. “It was really a massacre of people. Those young people came out and did all they could for freedom and democracy but didn’t achieve it.”
In her posts, Taiwanese President Tsai also called on Beijing to let a pro-democracy activist from Taiwan who was detained in March on the mainland “come home.”
Lee Ming-che, detained on suspicion of conducting activities harming China’s national security, has previously conducted online lectures on Taiwan’s democratization and managed a fund for families of political prisoners in China.
Relations between Beijing and Taiwan have been near an all-time low since Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party has advocated for Taiwan’s formal independence, took over as president a year ago. Since then, Beijing has cut off contacts with Taiwan’s government and discouraged mainlanders from visiting the island as tourists.
The authoritarian Communist Party rulers in Beijing insist that Taiwan and the Chinese mainland are part of a single Chinese nation and have vowed to take control of the island by force if necessary.
Hong Kong marks 28 years since bloody Tiananmen crackdown
Hong Kong marks 28 years since bloody Tiananmen crackdown
Thai and Cambodian top diplomats meet in China to solidify ceasefire
- The ceasefire agreement comes with a 72-hour observation period, at the end of which Thailand agreed to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners since earlier fighting in July
BEIJING: Top diplomats from Thailand and Cambodia kicked off two days of talks in China on Sunday as Beijing seeks to strengthen its role in mediating the two countries’ border dispute, a day after they signed a new ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement signed on Saturday calls for a halt to weeks of fighting along their contested border that has killed more than 100 people and displaced over half a million in both countries.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn were set to meet in China’s southwestern Yunnan province for talks mediated by their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
The talks aim to ensure a sustained ceasefire and promote lasting peace between the countries, according to a statement by Sihasak’s office.
Wang was scheduled to join both bilateral meetings with each of the diplomats and a trilateral talk on Monday.
China has welcomed the ceasefire announcement, which freezes the front lines and allows for displaced civilians to return to their homes near the border.
“China stands ready to continue to provide (the) platform and create conditions for Cambodia and Thailand to have fuller and more detailed communication,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement read.
The ceasefire agreement comes with a 72-hour observation period, at the end of which Thailand agreed to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers it has held as prisoners since earlier fighting in July. Their release has been a major demand of the Cambodian side.
China has sought to position itself as a mediator in the crisis, along with the United States and Malaysia.
A July ceasefire was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from US President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed.
Despite those deals, Thailand and Cambodia carried on a bitter propaganda war, and minor cross-border violence continued, erupting into heavy fighting in early December.
Prak Sokhonn, in a statement after his meeting with Wang, expressed deep appreciation for China’s “vital role” in supporting the ceasefire.
China also announced 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) of emergency humanitarian aid for Cambodia to assist the displaced.
The first batch of Chinese aid, including food, tents and blankets, arrived in Cambodia on Sunday, Wang Wenbin, Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, wrote on Facebook.
Sihasak said Sunday he hoped the meetings would convey to China that it should both support a sustainable ceasefire and send a signal to Cambodia against reviving the conflict or attempting to create further ones.
“Thailand does not see China merely as a mediator in our conflict with Cambodia but wants China to play a constructive role in ensuring a sustainable ceasefire by sending such signals to Cambodia as well,” he said.
