Asia

White House says China’s Tiananmen Square ‘slaughter’ not forgotten

adminJune 5, 20201 Mins read83 Views

WASHINGTON: The White House said on Thursday (Jun 4) that China's "slaughter" of protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989 has not been forgotten, urging Beijing to give its first accurate accounting of the bloodshed.

"The Chinese Communist Party's slaughter of unarmed Chinese civilians was a tragedy that will not be forgotten," President Donald Trump's press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

READ: Thousands in Hong Kong defy ban on Tiananmen vigil

"The United States calls on China to honour the memory of those who lost their lives and to provide a full accounting of those who were killed, detained, or remain missing in connection with the events surrounding the Tiananmen Square massacre on Jun 4, 1989."

China's leadership has never provided a death toll from the crackdown, in which hundreds if not thousands are believed to have been killed, and has sought to suppress all public mention of the episode.

Open discussion of the brutal suppression is forbidden in mainland China.

In Hong Kong, where Beijing is tightening its central rule, a mass vigil meant to mark the anniversary was banned.

Every year, the United States issues a similar statement demanding China be held accountable. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with survivors, including Wang Dan, perhaps the most prominent of the student leaders from the doomed pro-democracy protest.

Pompeo, who had earlier denounced China for preventing Hong Kong's annual commemoration on the grounds that mass gatherings went against guidelines in fighting the coronavirus, tweeted a photo of the meeting.