HONG KONG/TAIPEI, June 4 (Reuters) – Security was tight and activists faced pressure from police in Hong Kong on the 36th anniversary of China’s bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, an event Taiwan’s president and the top U.S. diplomat said the world must not forget.
The events on and around the central Beijing square on June 4, 1989, when Chinese troops opened fire to end student-led pro-democracy protests, are not publicly discussed in China and the anniversary is not officially marked.
China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into the thousands. Beijing treats June 4 as taboo and allows no public remembrance.
Public commemorations take place in over 30 overseas cities including Taipei, where senior Taiwan government leaders often use the anniversary to criticize China and urge it to face up to what it did.
In Hong Kong, where tens of thousands used to gather to mark the anniversary before China’s imposition of a national security law in 2020, hundreds of police officers stood guard around Victoria Park, the site of previous mass candlelight vigils, searching passers-by and taking away at least one activist.
Several pro-democracy activists told Reuters they had been called by national security police several times over the past week, and followed by individuals in public in what they described as intimidation by authorities.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said stringent enforcement action would be taken against acts endangering national security without specifying what these might be. Hong Kong police gave no response to questions from Reuters on whether activists had been targeted.
“I don’t think commentating on June 4th is illegal,” said Derek Chu, the owner of a pro-democracy shop that displayed candles and was visited by police. “I don’t think speaking up for the deceased, the survivors and the families is illegal.”
One jailed pro-democracy activist, Chow Hang-tung, is staging a 36-hour hunger strike in prison to mark the anniversary, while another recently released former democratic lawmaker, Claudia Mo, posted a picture of a candle online.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, in a post on Facebook praised the courage of those who took part in the protests, saying human rights are a concept shared by Taiwan and other democracies that transcend generations and borders.
“The commemoration of the June 4 Tiananmen incident is not only to mourn history, but also to perpetuate this memory,” said Lai, who Beijing detests as a “separatist” and has rejected his repeated offers of talks.
“Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who gave their lives – and their dreams – to the idea of human rights,” he added.
“Not only do we refuse to forget history, we will implement our core values every day.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday praised the courage of the Chinese people who were killed in the bloody crackdown.
“Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,” Rubio said in a statement.
“The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Speaking at a daily briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Rubio’s “wrong comments maliciously distort the facts of history”, seriously interferes in China’s internal affairs, and that China had lodged a complaint with the United States.
“With regard to the political turmoil that took place in the late 1980s, the Chinese government has long since come to the clear conclusion that the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the choice of history and the people,” he said.
Australia marked the anniversary saying that Canberra remains committed to protecting and supporting human rights including freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of political participation.
“On this day, we join communities around the world to remember the loss of life at Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989,” Australia’s Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau, Gareth Williams, said in a post on X.
SECURITY TIGHT IN HONG KONG
Before dawn on June 4, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers.
China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into thousands.
China blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the ruling Communist Party.
Security around the square was tightened on Tuesday with increased police presence. Police officers set up multiple checkpoints for identification checks on motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, and also prevented people from taking photographs near the square.
There was no discussion about the historic event on Chinese social media, which are heavily censored by authorities.
The Tiananmen Mothers, which represents relatives of those killed, put out this week their annual statement calling for a public accounting of what happened.
“The executioners of that year have passed away one after another, but as the continuation of the ruling party, the current government has a responsibility to respond to and address the Tiananmen Massacre,” Zhang Xianling, whose son Wang Nan was killed, said in a video message.
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