Remember Tiananmen Square: June 4, 1989|Edward Chin
Photo taken on May 28th, 2001. (Photographer: Paul Cheng)
The deadline for the Saturday opinion piece is Friday morning, June 4. I am about to send this week’s commentary to my editor. At the time of wrapping up this week’s article, there is no way I know for sure whether the government is crazy enough to get in people’s way to Victoria Park, where the candlelight vigil had been carried on for over 30 years until the totalitarian regime banned it last year, using COVID-19 concerns as an excuse.
I was born in the late 60s, and the student leaders holding demonstrations in Tiananmen during May and June of 1989 are of my generation. When the massacre took place on June 4, I just finished college. We all witnessed the tragedy, and for more than 32 years, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has been trying to downplay the massacre, but no matter what, the inhumane crackdown by the government on its own people reshaped China’s modern history. A global online commemoration will take place less than 12 hours from now with the organizers, witnesses and survivors located separately in different places all over the world talking about the Tiananmen massacre of 1989 in 2021 terms, whereas in Hong Kong, it is rumored that the totalitarian government would send in as many as 8,000 police officers to stop people from entering Victoria Park, or to stop and search people who are close to the site, which again will create white terror. I consider this as one of the perks of police work - over-time pay, no offence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross estimated the total deaths in Tiananmen on June 4, 1989, amounting to 2,700. According to a declassified document that was later released in the UK, an official from the Chinese State Council estimated that at least 10,000 civilians were killed in the Tiananmen massacre. No matter what, it was a large number.
I just heard from the news that Hang-Tung Chow (鄒幸彤), Vice Chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the Alliance), got arrested on Friday morning for allegedly breaking the law by inciting others to participate in an unauthorized event tonight. The tactics of the police of communist Hong Kong resemble those of communist China, but they are even tougher latter so as to eliminate all opposition voices. I wish Hang-Tung Chow would be released soon.
To continue with the crackdown in Hong Kong, communist China and now communist Hong Kong have defied all logic. But there is one thing I must add: before Hong Kong is fully destroyed by the current totalitarian regime, Beijing and the puppet government in Hong Kong must understand the significance of June 4 vigil and July 1 demonstration. These events boost overseas peoples’ confidence in “one country, two systems”, and it is a political barometer for anyone to judge whether the city is still free. The last candlelight vigil in 2019 organized by the Alliance attracted more than 180,000 people. As the saying goes: the show must go on.
Thirty-two years ago, the students at Tiananmen were demanding a better and cleaner China: end of corruption, economic reform and democracy, something that a responsible government should address to its people. 32 years on, with the NSL (National Security Law) in place now in communist Hong Kong, the government escalates its wrongdoings by leaps and bounds. I never imagined all peaceful assemblies in Hong Kong would be banned, but this is exactly what is happening in this city now.
Some mysterious banners warning people about national security were hung outside the seven Catholic churches that are supposed to be holding masses for the victims of Tiananmen on June 4 evening. With the restriction of social gatherings in place, churches are only allowed to utilize 30% of the normal capacity to accommodate the congregation. Let’s hope the masses will be successfully held, and freed from interference from the police or thugs tonight. The mysterious banners hung outside the seven Catholic churches had the same message portraying the event organizer, Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, as an evil cult. In communist Hong Kong, the Basic Law, mini-constitution of this city, in theory, should protect freedom of religion. That said, the current regime could argue that “normal religious activities” do not include commemoration of the Tiananmen incident, and “special events” need special licenses issued by the authorities, thus eliminating freedom of religion and freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
As Hong Kong is now under tight control of a totalitarian regime, it is quite predictable that the government would deny Hong Kong people permission to hold any demonstration or assembly in the foreseeable future. Does the regime even care about the impression it makes on the general public overseas? The answer is obvious. A surveillance system of Orwellian level is also in the making for Hong Kong, and suppression and gross human rights violations would get worse. Communist Hong Kong is soon on a par with communist China.
And back to the Tiananmen candlelight vigil issue. A Hong Konger residing in Calgary, Canada, for decades has just sent me a picture of a billboard sign that talked about the Tiananmen crackdown of 1989. The billboard advertisement was placed in 2001 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, extremely visible and very close to the Chinese Consulate in Calgary. The picture was taken by my friend some twenty years ago, and I will use it for this week’s thumbnail picture. Hong Kongers and the families of the Tiananmen victims have always been united in condemnation of the ruthless totalitarian state for killing the civilians, and remembrance of the student victims.
For anyone who cares about the history of the massacre in 1989, there is no shortage of information about the wrongdoings of the communist tyranny of China in cyberspace. There will also be global online remembrance events organized today. By the time this opinion piece is released on Saturday, all forms of commemoration that have taken place over the last 24 hours will have gone viral. My final message is: Remember Tiananmen Square, June 4, 1989 ̶ we all hope a free Hong Kong and a democratic China will come someday.
(Edward Chin (錢志健) runs a family office. Chin was formerly Country Head of a UK publicly listed hedge fund, the largest of its kind measured by asset under management. Outside the hedge funds space, Chin is Convenor of 2047 Hong Kong Monitor and a Senior Advisor of Reporters Without Borders (RSF, HK & Macau). Chin studied speech communication at the University of Minnesota, and received his MBA from the University of Toronto. Twitter: edwardckchin Youtube: Ed Chin Channel Facebook.com/edckchin Email:
[email protected])
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