U.S. Asks China To Re-Examine Tianamen Square Incidents

US asks China to re-examine Tianamen Square incidents

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanhe...5040200565.asp

The United States has asked China to fully account for those allegedly killed and detained during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and release those protestors still languishing in jails.

The United States has asked China to fully account for those allegedly killed and detained during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and release those protestors still languishing in jails.

Sixteen years after the bloody crackdown when Chinese troops backed by tanks attacked students and protestors in the gaint square in Central Beijing, the State Department asked Beijing to move forward with a reexamination of what happened on June 4, 1989.

"We call on the Chinese Government to fully account for the thousands killed, detained, or missing, and to release those unjustly imprisoned," Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said in a strongly-worded statement yesterday.

"Moreover, family members of victims, like the Tiananmen mothers, and other citizens who urge their Government to undertake a reassessment of what happened on June 4, 1989, should be free from harassment and detention," he said.

Claiming that as many as 250 people are still in jails for Tiananmen-related activities, he said "It is now time for the Chinese Government to move forward with a reexamination of Tiananmen, and give its citizens the ability to flourish by allowing them to think, speak, assemble and worship freely." He also urged China to bring its human rights practices into "conformity with international standards and law."