7June2000

CHINA E-LOBBY UPDATE

TIANANMEN ANNIVERSARY SEES WIDESPREAD ARRESTS, A HUNGER STRIKE, CALLS FOR AN INVESTIGATION, AND HELP TO DISSIDENTS FROM OUTSIDE COMMUNIST CHINA
On June 4, 1989, eleven years ago Sunday, Communist China�s military ended a peaceful protest for democracy in Tiananmen Square, Beijing with a barrage of bullets that killed at least hundreds, and probably thousands. While Communist authorities have done everything they can to wipe out the memory of the massacre, some students and others refused to be silent.

Communist Chinese police arrested tens of dissidents throughout the mainland over the weekend to silence protests commemorating the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Communist police arrested three Beijing dissidents for preparing a gathering at a private home to honor those killed during the crackdown. Three other activists, one from Beijing and two from Liaoning were held for asking Communist authorities to review the tragedy in a letter. The Communist government has repeatedly referred to the pro-democracy, anti-corruption protests, which at one point included over a million people, as a �counter-revolutionary rebellion� and defended its use of the army to shoot unarmed protestors out of the square.

Throughout the country, tens of protesters marked the anniversary with a nationwide hunger strike, including Wang Youcai, presently imprisoned for his role in helping start the banned China Democracy Party. While police prevented a major protest in Beijing, one democracy activist, Shen Zhidao, distributed cloth banners in Tiananmen Square proclaiming �Overthrow despotic communism� and �Freedom, democracy, fairness, human rights,� before police got to him. Shen was also arrested last June 4 for displaying slogans. In Hong Kong, over 25,000 held a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park. Many children were among the demonstrators, a sign that the massacre�s memory would not die with the generation that suffered it. Szeto Wah, who organized the protest and sits in the Hong Kong legislature, called on the children to �firmly remember our history, to know your (the Chinese activists') heroic sacrifices, and the bloody cruelty of the dictators.�

Beijing/Peking University, whose students had started the protest eleven springs ago, saw two arrests by Communist authorities. Thirty had come to honor the dead on the steps of the school auditorium; two were taken into custody after they lit candles to mark the anniversary. Many other students followed them, but were turned away at the security station, according to an Agence France Presse reporter at the scene. In Xian, a northern city, a group of ten activists were put under de facto house arrest to prevent them form meeting to, as Zheng Baohe said, �commemorate those killed in June 4th and express our confidence in the future of China's democracy movement.� The police are still outside Zheng�s home: �I can be taken away anytime.�

From exile, the Tibetan Dalai Lama said Communist China had to change �not only to meet the changing aspirations of the Chinese people but also to meet the demands of a dynamic economy which requires an open and transparent political system.� He told dissidents in Communist China �not to lose hope,� and praised �those Chinese students who so bravely gave their lives on June 4.� News on events in Tibet, which also had a busy week, can be found in the Tibet News section.

Two human rights groups, the Information Center on Human Rights and Democracy in China and Human Rights in China, took the cause to the internet. The former has created www.89-64.com, which gives then names and photos of some of the students murdered. The latter has put up www.FillTheSquare.org, a site with a petition demanding the release of all jailed Tiananmen protesters, an end to victim harassment, a reinvestigation of the massacre, the right of the people to mourn in public, and allowing victims� families to receive humanitarian aid from others.

Two dissidents freed by Communist police on Monday after being jailed for requesting a review into the Tiananmen Square massacre kept up their call after their release. Lu Yongxiang, 54, and Huang Yanming, 40, were imprisoned for writing an open letter to the Communist Party on June 4, 1995, according to the Information Center (see above). Lu and Huang, who were met by more policemen then dissidents upon their release, promptly repeated their demand the Communist China re-evaluate their labeling of the protests as a �counter-revolutionary rebellion.� Over 200 protesters are still behind bars for taking part in the pro-democracy demonstration. Another democracy activist, Ren Wanding, also asked for an investigation, calling a fair assessment, should it come, �the foundation stone of social democracy, reconciliation, national stability, popular well-being, and national strength and prosperity.� Li Peng, the man who as Premier sent the military into the square in 1989, is now head of the legislature and the No. 2 ranking Communist Party official.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNS COMMUNIST CHINA OVER TIANANMEN PRISONERS
Amnesty International strongly condemned Communist China�s cover-up of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The human rights organization slammed the People�s Republic of China�s government for avoiding �any sort of public inquiry into the events on the night of 3-4 June or to grant compensation to the families of those killed.� The group also called on the Communists to stop harassing Ding Zilin, mother of a murdered student and leader in the charge for an inquiry into the incident and compensation for victims� families. Human Rights in China also released on Thursday the letter written by victims� families asking for the prosecution of then-Premier Li Peng (see last update). The only arrests made after the Tiananmen Square massacre 11 years ago last Sunday were against 213 student protestors for �counter-revolutionary� activities. AI demanded their release, noting their only real crime was �peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression.�

COMMUNIST CHINA SHUTS DOWN OPPOSITION WEB SITE AND ARRESTS ITS FOUNDER
A web site in Communist China that was brave enough to report news regarding the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, the crackdown of Falun Gong practitioners, and official corruption was shut down by police in March. The web site, based in the southwestern province of Chengdu, posted news of its termination on its home page, www.6-4tianwang.com, with the following statement: �Because the site posted a lot of internal news that upset the leaders, it was closed down by the Chengdu Public Security Bureau on March 31.� The site went on in its posting to say, �We strongly condemn the Chengdu authorities making a political persecution against Tianwang's office and against Huang Qi.� Hunag Qi, founder of the web site, was arrested by Chengdu police and charged with �subverting the state,� for which he could be sentenced to 10 years in jail. Among the articles posted on the site, according to BBC reports, was a letter from a Tiananmen victims� mother accusing the police of beating her son to death, and reports of dissidents being held in the days leading up to the anniversary.

EX-COMMUNIST POWERBROKER COMPLAINS OF SURVEILLANCE; PRAISES TAIWAN
Bao Tong, the highest ranking Communist ever sent to jail in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre, has filed a police harrasment complaint with the public security ministry. Bao�s letter, which was faxed to the press by Human Rights in China, complained of �at least 20 people carrying out the task of �shadowing Bao Tong� . . . since this January.� Bao wrote the unofficial squad has �been following me everywhere as soon as I leave my home, 24-hours a day.� At one point the group stopped him and his wife in a cab and forced them to return home. They also refused to give their names, as is required by statute. Bao told Agence France Presse, who interviewed him by telephone, that the purpose of the letter �lies in my hope that the situation in China will improve, that the rights of every Chinese citizen will be respected and that the government and the law be fully capable of protecting the rights of all citizens.�

Bao also had kind words for Taiwan. He said if Communist China really wants reunification with Taiwan, they should adopt democracy and human rights, which he called �the common hope of all Chinese people.� He warned that a military attack was possible, reminding the world that no one expected the attack on the protestors in Tiananmen Square until it happened. Bao was chief aide to Communist party general secretary Zhao Ziyang, both of whom were bounced from their party posts for repeatedly opposing that military crackdown. Boa was jailed for seven years for �leaking state secrets,� and has been a vocal critic of Chinese Communism ever since. Zhao has been under house arrest ever since the military crackdown, but has never stood trial for any offense in the intervening 11 years.

TIANANMEN VICTIMS� ADVOCATE PRAISES TAIWAN; SAYS FEW WOULD SUPPORT INVASION
A leading advocate for the Tiananmen victims� families praised the rise of democracy on Taiwan as a model for mainland China. Ding Zinglin, who lost her 17-year old son in the massacre, flatly rejected Communist claims that all of mainland China would support violent reunification. �To use the kind of military action that was used on June 4 to strike Taiwan is something no one wants to see, no one wants to see the loss of blood, the loss of life or the killing,� said Ding, who is under virtual house arrest. She was also happy to hear ROC President Chen, himself a former political prisoner, emphasize democracy in his inaugural address. News on events happening in Taiwan can be found in the Taiwan News section.

U.N. WOMEN COMMITTEE ORDERS COMMUNIST CHINA TO LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION
A committee authorized to implement the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women has ordered Communist China to legalize prostitution as a women�s right, according to the Washington Times. The committee interpreted the convention treaty, signed by 165 nations, to state that prostitution is a �reproductive right� of women. The United States is the only nation in the Western Hemisphere not to have agreed to the treaty, though the Clinton Administration is trying to build support in the Senate for it. Communist China has recently been battling trading in women as urban prostitutes and rural wives, finally admitting it was a serious problem last month. Now the Communists can either follow the committee�s recommendation and declare the issue �solved,� or defy the committee � which is more likely � and thank their lucky stars the United Nations sent them this public relations bonanza.

TEAMSTERS YANK ENDORSEMENTS FROM PRO-PNTR DEMOCRATS, SENATE MAY HOLD UP BILL
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has taken back their endorsements of several House Democrats, some very vulnerable, for supporting Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Communist China. As the Washington Times reported on Tuesday, the union has pulled their support for Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette (Colorado), Tom Sawyer (Ohio), and Michael Moore (Kansas). They also announced they would withdraw their endorsement of Lois Capps (D-California) and Michael Case, Democratic candidate opposing Elton Gallegly (Republican-California), for favoring PNTR. The United Auto Workers have stopped all donations from their union to Rep. Moore. Moore, elected from a Republican-leaning district with only 52% of the vote, will now be without badly needed funds and support for his tough re-election campaign.

PNTR passed the House by a 237-197 margin. Conventional wisdom says it will pass the Senate, but leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee are saying they�d rather pass the 13 appropriations bills before getting to PNTR. Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) even told the press that PNTR �can wait until September. It doesn�t make a damn bit of difference.� Many believe the bill could be amended, forcing a conference committee and a second Congressional vote, which would delay the bill even further into the election cycle, and cause a number of Congressmen and Senators to rethink their positions.

PRC OPPOSES ANTI-MISSILE PLANS FROM U.S. AND RUSSIA; AGREES TO U.S. ARMS TALKS
Communist China told both Russia and the U.S. that it would not support any missile defesne system, no matter who built it or whom it would protect. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested NATO and the EU to join Russia in building a joint missile defense to protect against �rogue states.� He said such a system would �avoid creating problems linked to an imbalance in the equilibrium of forces, and ensure 100 percent the security of all European countries, with the obvious involvement of our American partners.� President Bill Clinton had offered to share technology from the proposed American missile defense with �civilized nations,� saying it was �unethical� not to do so. However, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told reporters this week that Communist China would not accept any straying from the ABM treaty, of which it isn�t even a signatory. Russia has become a major supplier of high-tech naval vessels and missiles to Communist China, and is also helping the PRC expand its nuclear power program, including the construction of a �fast-breeder� reactor, which would produce its own nuclear fuel.

A senior American official said Communist China had agreed to resume talks on arms control and non-proliferation with the U.S., staring some time next month in Beijing. The PRC has been a major arms supplier, directly or indirectly, for most of the very �rogue states� referred to in most discussions about missile defense, such as Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and North Korea. In fact, North Korea, widely considered the most dangerous of the rouge states, is Communist China�s longest and closest ally.

ZIMBABWE BUYS $66 MILLION IN ARMS FROM PRC, SOUTH AFRICA MAY FOLLOW
The government of Zimbabwe, in the middle of its worst economic crisis in over 20 years, has struck a deal with the China North Industries Corporation to purchase $66 million in arms for the Zimbabwe National Army. The Zimbabwe Independent reported the arms deal, wichi was confirmed by Zimbabwe�s Defense Ministry, includes a down payment of $6 million which has already been paid. Zimbabwe�s economic woes are compounded by political anger over the seizing of private farms and the killing of opposition politicians. South Africa has also expressed interest in buying arms from, and selling arms to, Communist China.

MYANMAR DELEGATION VISITS COMMUNIST CHINA; WANTS STRONGER TIES
A high-powered delegation from Myanmar (formerly Burma), led by General Maung Aye, arrived in the PRC on Monday, hoping to achieve stronger ties between the two Communist militaries during the week-long trip. Ostensibly, the trip by Aye, who is vice-chairman of Myanmar�s military junta, is to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between PRC and Myanmar/Burma. The to governments signed economic, environmental, and other non-military accords on Wednesday. Communist China was the first country to recognize the current military regime in Myanmar after its seized power in 1988, and is the junta�s biggest arms supplier. Myanmar has been an isolated, totalitarian state ever since the coup.

KIM JONG-IL VISITS COMMUNIST CHINA FOR LOW KEY SUMMIT
An unofficial summit between Communist President Jiang Zemin and North Korea�s leader Kim Jong-Il last week has caused quite a stir. Kim explored the possibilities of Communist China�s economic �reforms� to breathe life into the all-but-dead North Korean economy, and discussed his upcoming summit with South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung. Many analysts are heralding this trip to Beijing as a sign of North Korea opening up to the outside world � it was Kim�s first summit meeting of any kind � despite the fact that Communist China and North Korea have been allies for over 50 years.

COMMUNIST CHINA COMES CLEAN ON FILTHY ENVIRONMENT
In a highly unusual admission, Communist China acknowledged gross failure in ecological management in recent years. The State Environmental Protection Administration reported the �environmental situation in the whole country is still rather severe.� It further admitted that the rural ecology had actually gotten worse recently and that pollution in air, water and soil was �rather serious.� The report, and the non-governmental Friends of nature group, blamed urban and industrial waste. Communist China�s predicament is similar to Eastern Europe�s ecological decline under Communism, from which in some areas it sill hasn�t recovered.

PROTESTS
Beijing witnessed a protest by hundreds of city-dwellers facing eviction by local Communist authorities on Friday. They were being told to abandon their traditional homes in exchange for compensation that one anonymous neighbor said was insufficient to find them homes. While exact numbers were not available, a local trader, who asked not to be named, said there were �many, many people.� The protesters live in the Ciqikou area of the city, their homes are to be destroyed to make way for a broader street. The protest was large enough to require police to cordon off the entire neighborhood.

CORRUPTION NEWS
Jin Deqin, ex-vice chairman of the state-owned China International Trust and Investment Corporation (CITIC), was given life imprisonment for embezzling funds. Jin was first arrested in 1998, according to Hong Kong media which first reported it that April. Xinhua, the Communist news agency, acknowledged Jin�s conviction today. Hong Kong media had reported Jin was charged with misusing funds at the CITIC-owned Ka Wah Bank � of which he was honorary chairman � including an $8 million loan to his son.

TAIWAN NEWS
A group of thirty-eight Taiwanese legislators wrote Beijing to protest Communist China�s decision, absed on independence paranoia, to ban advertisements and publications featuring pop star Chang Hui-mei, better known as A-mei, for singing the ROC national anthem at Chen�s inauguration. The joint letter called on the PRC not to let the matter be �politicized, let alone be equated with Taiwan independence.� All three major Taiwanese parties, Kuomintang, People First, and DPP, had members endorsing the letter, as did the tiny, pro-rapid reunification New Party. The letter also said the Communists� actions, �has further smeared the images of the mainland authorities among the people here.�

Taiwan also acquired permission to test-fire the PAC-2 Patriot missile on ROC soil, the first time such missiles will be tested outside the U.S., according to the BBC and Associated Press. The permission comes just before Communist China�s test of the Dongfeng-31 missile, which could reach the Western U.S. The U.S. Navy has deployed a reconnaissance plain and vessel to monitor the Dongfeng test, which, according to the Japanese newspaper SankeiShimbun, is expected to occur very soon.

TIBET NEWS
In an attack so bitter it was even surprising for the PRC, Communist-run media slandered the Dalai Lama, Tibet�s spiritual leader, of leading his followers to rape, murder, and child torture. Xinhua, the Communist news agency, and the government-run Tibet Daily took turns accusing the Lama of trying �to protect feudal serfdom� and return Tibet to a way of life that was, in their view, �the most gloomy, cruel, and uncultured in the history of mankind.� They charged that the rapes and murders committed by the Dalai Lama�s followers occurred in 1959 during a short-lived uprising that was crushed by the Communists. The Dalai Lama has been in exile ever since, pressing the case for Tibetan autonomy, and has repeatedly vowed not to return to the feudal system used in Tibet until Communist China seized it in October 1950.

In case that wasn�t enough, a former Tibetan monk from Reting Monastery who escaped to Nepal told the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy that eight monks at the monastery were areested for plotting to kill the Reting (�Living Buddha�) appointed by Communist China. The Tibetan Center, in a report out of Beijing, said the eight monks were arrested on May 17, the day they protested the appointment, which was protested by the Dalai Lama as illegal under Tibetan Buddhist religious law. The appointment of the Reting lama came just after the Karmapa Lama, whose position was recognized by Beijing and the Dalai Lama�s government in exile, escaped Communist-occupied Tibet last year, a major embarrasment to the PRC. Also in reaction to the Lama�s defection, Communist authorities have tightened border security and arrested over 50 who have tried to escape this year, according to the Tibet Information Network.

Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving this. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected].