+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ===================== Europe / Pacific Section (CND-EP) ===================== April 7, 1990 ---------------------------- Table of Contents --------------------------- No. Subject # of Lines 1. Chinese Festival Of Qing-ming: 14 Years Ago ... -- A Letter To The Editor............................................40 2. Brief News About Chai Ling (Four Pieces).............................30 3. Suggestion: Mail Our Publications Back To China......................33 4. News Abstracts Of This Week (Ten Pieces) (North America: 1; Mainland China: 5; Taiwan/HK: 2; Europe: 2).......80 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's note: CND-EP (normally broadcast weekly or biweekly), is a supplement to daily CND-General and it has basically no overlap with CND- General. To receive comprehensive China-related news, please subscribe to CND-G from the addresses at the end of this news. 1. Chinese Festival Of Qing-ming: 14 Years Ago ... -- A Letter To The Editor =================================================================(40 lines) Source: CND-US April 5, 1990 Dear Editor: Today is Qingming, the day that we Chinese remember our beloved ones in heaven. Many people are talking about what happened last year. But I am wondering how many people still remember what happened 14 years ago. 14 years ago, I was in high school. In the morning of Qingming, many many people in my hometown had put on blank armbands. From our classroom, I saw endless stream of people with wreathes passing by our school and proceed to the Martyrs Monument. A huge wreath was carried by a truck. It was so big that some branches of the trees on the street had to be cut. Students in our school were not allowed to go out, but almost everyone in our class had an blank armband. People didn't talk much, but I guess we understood each other very well. The next day, we learned that a counter-revolutionary rebellion had been put down in TianAnMen Square. To this date, I still seem to recall the announcement by Mr. Wu De, then mayor of Beijing. We learned that a handful of counter-revolutionaries had cheated on a huge crowd of people who didn't know the truth. The mobs shouted anti-revolutionary slogans, attacked police and burned their cars, and wanted to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party. After repeated announcements by Wu De, the square had to be cleaned by force. It was announced a great victory for the Chinese people. I never really believe what the report said. More than a year later, when Deng Xiaoping came out, the "4.5 movement" was reaccessed and called a people's anti-"Gang-of-four" movement. The poems from "4.5" had even been published. However, I have never seen a report detailing what really happened that day. I am still wondering who ordered the crackdown, how many people died or injuried, how many were arrested afterwards, etc. But seems it has been forgotten over the time. Unfortunately history always repeats. It happened again last year. Ironically, Deng Xiaoping, who was strongly supported by the "4.5" movement, cracked down on the "6.4" movement. I was surprised how similar the two movements were. I was wondering what would have happened if we had not forgotten "4.5" and kept fighting for our rights. Let's remember those who sacrificed their lifes for our motherland. Editor of CND-US: Yongdong Wang, ywang@postgres.berkeley.edu ============================================================================= 2. Brief News About Chai Ling (Four Pieces) ===================================================================(30 lines) >From: kwchan@csd.hku.hk Source: soc.culture.china 1) Dissidents face tough schedule --------------------------------- Chai Ling and Feng Congde are expected to face a heavy itinerary following their recent escape from China. Despite the fact that Ms Chai was in poor health and reported to need a lot of rest before she could fully recover, she might find it difficult to refuse some of the arrangements planned for her. The Paris-based Federation for a Democratic China (FDC), made up of such Chinese dissidents as Mr Yan Jiaqi and Mr Wu'erkaixi, is hoping Ms Chai and Mr Feng will appear at least in a radio ship broadcast project and a large-scale conference later this month. 2) France urged to keep Chai silent ----------------------------------- The Chinese Prime Minister, Mr Li Peng, yesterday urged the French Government not to permit Ms Chai Ling, the charismatic student leader who recently surfaced in France, to engage in political activities against the Chinese leadership. 3) Escape timed to embarrass NPC session ---------------------------------------- The publicity surrounding the emergence in Paris of Ms Chai Ling and her husband, Mr Feng Congdw, was apparently timed to embarrass the Chinese authorities when they were emphasising national stability during the National People's Congress (NPC). >From: postmaster@china.se (This is CHINA.SE domain!) soc.culture.china 4) Li Peng's response to Chai Ling's escapting ---------------------------------------------- Swedish radio report 3:00 oclock (April 4, 1990), the first official response to Ms Chai Ling's escaping is Li Peng's speech, the main meaning is something like it is nort surprise that the small number person can still escape from China. No forther detail reported. 3. Suggestion: Mail Our Publications Back To China ====================================================================(33 lines) From: LINHONG@MCMASTER.bitnet (Lin, Hong) Source: CND-US MAIL OUR PUBLICATIONS BACK TO CHINA ----- One suggestion to our Chinese fellow Although some politics are involved in nature science and techniques, in principle nature science and techniques themselves are independent on the country's political system. We are doing science work, and I believe most of us hope China's science and techniques can develop. We know the current situation in China not that promising, and may even go worse since the shortage of money and young people. What can we do? Let's do a tiny work. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; PLEASE MAIL OUR PUBLICATIONS BACK TO OUR INSTITUTES or UNIVERSITIES WE ARE FROM, it may even better we can write some words to talk about the development of our research fields. This will take us some time and some money, but it won't cost too much. Let's think this in another way, If you were the head of Physics Department of Peking University, what would you think if you get a dozen of scientific papers by your former students? You may say that my university or institute never treats me good, why should I do this. My philosophy is that no matter what others do I do what I think right. Sure, to take this suggestion or not is your own choice. Thank you for your reading and consideration. ========================================================================== 4. News Abstracts Of This Week (Ten Pieces) =================================================================(80 lines) 1). The Progress of the Canadian Open Letter Canpaign ----------------------------------------------------- Source: CND-Canada April 6, 1990 Since last Thursday, FCSSC has started a Canadian version of open letter campaign and called for supporting the dialogue which is going to have beween Chinese students and Chinese Embassy or Consulate General on the new irreasonable regulations imposed on our brothers/sisters in China recently. So far this campaign has been supported by 13 institutes cross Cabnada. Editor of CND-Canada: Yibo Chi >From: kwchan@csd.hku.hk Source: soc.culture.china 2) Tiananmen sealed on April 5 after protest call ------------------------------------------------- Beijing: Thousands of police took over the centre of the Chinese capital yesterday to prevent demonstrations at the start of a three-month period that is expected to test the tolerance of the communist authorities. The police, both uniformed and planinclothes were deployed to deal with the coming anniversaries of last year's crushed democracy movement, and in response to a call on campus grapevines to "take a walk" on Tiananmen Square between yesterday and Thursday. 3) Students stay calm over anniversary -------------------------------------- It was all quiet yesterday (April 5) at the campus of the prestigious Beijing University, the centre of the nationwide democratic movement in China last year. Although tightened security was mounted outside the university gates to check visitors' identity, students remained calm and relaxed in spite of the forthcoming memorial dates. 4) Deng misses ceremony ----------------------- Tree-planting day was held in Beijing yesterday for China's top leaders, but patriarch Mr Deng Xiaoping, 85, was absent from the ceremony which he has usually taken part in every year to demonstrate his good health, the New China News Agency (NCNA) reported. 5) Public avoid comment on June events -------------------------------------- When Chinese Premier Li Peng told Hongkong reporters to interview ordinary people, instead of himself, for their opinions and feelings on the June 4 incidents, he failed to realise it could still stir emotions. "Frankly speaking, it's a sensitive issue that I think nobody would like to mention any more," said an intellectual. But when told it was Premier Li's idea, he burst into laughter and said: "You better interview the premier. I really do not have any views on this issue." 6) Zhao Ziyang investigated over 'economic crimes' -------------------------------------------------- The sacked Chinese Communist Party general secretary, Mr Zhao Ziyang, and his sons are under investigation for "economic crimes" including profiteering, according to the Minister of Supervision, Mr Wei Jianxing. 7) Abode plan threatens HK stability - Qian ------------------------------------------- The Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen, insisted yesterday that Britain's decision to grant right of abode to 225,000 Hongkong people would cause confusion and undermine the stability of the territory. >From: 8) Taiwan (ROC) And Lesotho Re-established Diplomatic Relations ---------------------------------------------------------------- Source: Voice of Free China (4/7/90) The Kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa reestablished diplomatic ties with ROC, which was broken 7 years ago when the then prime minister Jonathan visited Beijing and recognized the Communist China. 9) Free Democratic Party in USSR --------------------------------- (TASS, 4/1/90) Free Democratic Party was founded in Moscow. The party, led by a lawyer, is dedicated to free market economy and full private ownership. >From: kwchan@csd.hku.hk Source: soc.culture.china 10) Kremlin backed over Lithuania --------------------------------- Beijing has assured the Soviet Union of support for its use of military means to crush the independence movement in Lithuania. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Editor/Sender of this Issue: Bo Xiong in Chicago, U. S. A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Last CND-EP news package sent out on April 3, 1990 | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | To subscribe/unsubscribe, send contribution/comment and report problem, | | send e-mail to: | | yawei@silver.ucs.indiana.edu OR gxu@kentvm.bitnet | | OR iuvax!silver!yawei@uunet.uu.net | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+