The people of Hong Kong haven't forgotten, despite efforts by their masters in Beijing to ignore the past.
Thousands of protesters in Hong Kong raised candles in the air and sang solemn songs Saturday to mark the 16th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations on Tiananmen Square, while security was tightened in Beijing to block any memorials there.China's Communist Party has eased many of the social controls that spurred the 1989 student-led protests, which ended when soldiers and tanks attacked, killing hundreds of people. But Chinese leaders still crush any activity that they fear might challenge its monopoly on power.
Tiananmen Square was open to the public, but extra carloads of police watched tourists on the vast plaza and there was no public mention of the anniversary or any sign of attempts at commemorations.
In Hong Kong, people holding candles filled an area the size of five soccer fields at Victoria Park the only large-scale protest on Chinese soil. Police estimated that 22,000 people attended the annual vigil, but organizers said the crowd numbered 30,000 to 40,000.
Simon in Hong Kong says nothing has changed.
Often we cling to this event as a sign of hope. A hope that democracy and freedom will one day prevail over the Communist party. The reality is while many of us like to think of June 4th as a turning point, the past 16 years have proved us wrong.[I]n situations like June 4th, 1989, the CCP is likely to err on the side of crackdown and confrontation. There's no upside in compromise and they hold the guns.
That's the problem. Firstly it seems almost inconcievable for another 1989 protest to happen as things stand. Secondly if it should happen the question to ask is how would the CCP leadership respond today? The answer is clear - in the same way. The CCP are good at learning the lessons of history.
The CCP has a clear desire to remain in power at all costs. Democracy and freedom is not an inevitability for China. That's the legacy of Tiananmen Square.
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As always, Donald Rumsfeld is looking ahead:
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has expressed concern over China's military buildup, saying it could threaten the security balance in Asia. Mr. Rumsfeld spoke at a meeting of Asian and Western defense ministers in Singapore.Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a gathering of defense ministers from 21 nations that China now has the third-largest military budget in the world and the largest in Asia. And he said China appears to be expanding its missile forces, allowing them to target many parts of the world.
"Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder why this growing investment, why these continuing large and expensive arms purchases, why this continuing robust deployment?" he said.
Why indeed?