Secret cables from the United States embassy in Beijing have shown there was no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square when China put down student pro-democracy demonstrations 22 years ago.
By Malcolm Moore, Shanghai
8:00AM BST 04 Jun 2011
The cables, obtained by WikiLeaks and released exclusively by The Daily Telegraph, partly confirm the Chinese government's account of the early hours of June 4, 1989, which has always insisted that soldiers did not massacre demonstrators inside Tiananmen Square.
Instead, the cables show that Chinese soldiers opened fire on protesters outside the centre of Beijing, as they fought their way towards the square from the west of the city.
Three cables were sent from the US embassy on June 3, in the hours leading up to the suppression, as diplomats realised that the final showdown between the protesters and soldiers was looming.
The cables described the "10,000 to 15,000 helmeted armed troops" moving into the city, some of whom were "carrying automatic weapons".
Meanwhile, "elite airborne troops" and "tank units" were said to be moving up from the south.
Five key extracts from the WikiLeaks files on Tiananmen.
1. From 89BEIJING18828 - July 7, 1989. A Chilean diplomat provides an eye-witness account of the soldiers entering Tiananmen Square: HE WATCHED THE MILITARY ENTER THE SQUARE AND DID NOT OBSERVE ANY MASS FIRING OF WEAPONS INTO THE CROWDS, ALTHOUGH SPORADIC GUNFIRE WAS HEARD. HE SAID THAT MOST OF THE TROOPS WHICH ENTERED THE SQUARE WERE ACTUALLY ARMED ONLY WITH ANTI-RIOT GEAR--TRUNCHEONS AND WOODEN CLUBS; THEY WERE BACKED UP BY ARMED SOLDIERS.
2. From 89BEIJING18828 - July 7, 1989. A Chilean diplomat provides an eye-witness account of the soldiers entering Tiananmen Square: ALTHOUGH GUNFIRE COULD BE HEARD, HE SAID THAT APART FROM SOME BEATING OF STUDENTS, THERE WAS NO MASS FIRING INTO THE CROWD OF STUDENTS AT THE MONUMENT.
3. From 89BEIJING14047 - May 21, 1989. Diplomats describe how the students have control of central Beijing through an elaborate system of blockades.
AS REPORTED EARLIER, STUDENTS APPEAR TO CONTROL ACCESS TO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY THROUGH A SYSTEM OF BARRICADES AROUND THE SECOND AND THIRD RING ROADS AND AT OTHER MAJOR ROAD APPROACHES TO THE CITY.
POLOFF VISITING ONE SUCH ROADBLOCK AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE THIRD RING ROAD AND JIANGUOMENWAI AVENUE REPORTED THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 50 BUSSES IN THE AREA. FOURTEEN BUSSES BENEATH THE JIANGUOMENWAI AVENUE OVERPASS CONTROL PASSAGE ON THE THIRD RING ROAD, WHICH RUNS NORTH-SOUTH. THE BUSSES HAVE LEFT A ONE LANE OPENING ALONG THE ROAD AND CAN EASILY BLOCK TRAFFIC BY DRIVING INTO THE LANE.
POLOFF REPORTED THAT CITY BUS DRIVERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOVING THEIR VEHICLES AT THIS BARRICADE. ONE APPARENTLY FEARLESS DRIVER WITH WHOM POLOFF TALKED STATED THAT HE AND HIS FELLOWS ARE CONFIDENT THAT THEIR BLOCKADES WILL STOP PLA TANKS. (BUT WE DOUBT IT.)
4. From 89BEIJING14047 - May 21, 1989. An anonymous caller suggest the students have support from the leader of China's trade unions.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PARTY CONVENED A CENTRAL COMMITTEE (CCPCC)
MEETING SOMETIME BETWEEN THE NIGHT OF MAY 19 AND EARLY THIS MORNING AT WHICH MEMBERS DISSENTED WITH THE DECISION TO EMPLOY THE PLA TO RESTORE ORDER IN BEIJING. AN ANONYMOUS CALLER WHO PHONED CONGEN SHENYANG ON THE MORNING OF MAY 21 SAID THAT THE PARTY HAD CONVENED A CCPCC MEETING AND THAT CHAIRMAN OF THE ALL CHINA FEDERATION OF LABOR UNIONS NI ZHIFU CONDEMNED THE DECISION TO IMPOSE MARTIAL LAW.
ACCORDING TO THE CALLER, NI DEMANDED AN END TO MARTIAL LAW AND A POSITIVE REASSESSMENT OF THE STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS. HE ALSO DEMANDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HOLD TALKS WITH STUDENT LEADERS. THE CALLER CLAIMED THAT NI THREATENED TO LEAD A GENERAL STRIKE IF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE FAILED TO ACCEPT HIS DEMANDS. THE CALLER DID NOT STATE WHEN OR WHERE THE MEETING WAS HELD OR IF OUT-OF-TOWN MEMBERS ATTENDED.
5. From 89BEIJING14102 - May 22, 1989. Diplomats describe the joyous mood among the protestors after the first introduction of martial law in Beijing fails to halt the pro-democracy movement.
THE SENSE OF VICTORY WHICH THE WEARY DEMONSTRATORS CELEBRATED AT DAYBREAK APPEARED LARGER THAN JUST ONE MORE NIGHT OF DEFIANCE, THE NINTH NIGHT OF THE TIANANMEN OCCUPATION. A WIDESPREAD VIEW AMONG DEMONSTRATORS WAS THAT AFTER THIS NIGHT AND FORTY-EIGHT SURREAL HOURS OF NON-ENFORCED MARTIAL LAW, THE PROVERBIAL "MANDATE"-- POLITICAL LEGITIMACY--OF THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN LOST. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN, OF COURSE, WHETHER THE LEADERSHIP AGREES.作者: mcjohnjohn 時間: 2011-6-14 19:36
inside Tiananmen Square... how about outside?作者: soli 時間: 2011-6-14 19:49
Always been. It's so obvious. Don't need to proof la. LOL. The ones that doesn't realize and are brainwashed will always be. They are beyond redemption.
That said, media have always been the propganda machines, regardless of nation/country/gov't. Just that some does it with skill, fineness and way more subtlely. Even FB/Youtube, etc can/will/might censor certain materials. Maybe only independent blogs can be relied on to show some true individual thinkings... Albeit how advance we think humanity/society/democracy/etc is, it's really just baby step from our barbaric past. Hopefully we'll come up with something better sooner rather than later.作者: daimo 時間: 2011-6-15 14:10
What is Mr Lik going to say about this? Most likely Mr Lik and his masters are planning how to erase this part of Wikileaks.作者: rockypath 時間: 2011-6-16 09:16
It is not easy for people to listen to a different story which disagrees with what they are emotionally attached to and believe in.
Anyways, the truth will be eventually revealed.作者: soli 時間: 2011-6-22 16:20
仆街啦你~ Wikileak所講嘅就係全部呀?個智利佬目睹晒屠殺全程嘅所有經過呀?學生、參與者、咁多香港人響 ...
Lik 發表於 2011-6-23 17:12
Oh I know. The Chilean in fact didn't see the whole thing happening, but YOU DID!!! ALL YOU SAID MUST BE TRUE BECAUSE YOU MUST HAVE BEEN THERE AND YOU SOMEHOW CAN SEE THE WHOLE DAMN THING!!!
Lik is always right, no room to argue. He will only swear at you like an abusive boyfriend who punches you at the face to prove he is right!!! Hahahaha作者: rockypath 時間: 2011-6-24 00:13
If any media wants to truly find out what actually happened in Tiananmen Square that night, I don't think it is difficult to do so since there were at least hundreds of students. It can find a few of them and verify what exactly happened.
The interesting part is - why there is no media intends to do so.作者: mcjohnjohn 時間: 2011-6-24 00:47
The interesting part is - why there is no media intends to do so.
rockypath 發表於 2011-6-24 16:13