By Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, May 28 – A group of parents and relatives of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre victims has urged the Chinese government to reassess the incident days ahead of its 20th anniversary. The Tiananmen mothers, as the group is known, has issued a public statement signed by 128 family members and bears names of 20 others who are deceased in respect of their wishes.
The group urged the People’s Republic of China to form a “dedicated June Fourth investigation committee to conduct an independent and fair investigation, and make public the results, including the names and number of those who died.”
The family members and relatives also appealed the government to order the “relevant government agencies to provide explanations to the families of the victims, draft and adopt a “June Fourth Incident Victim Compensation Bill,” and provide compensation to the victims’ relatives in accordance with the law; and prosecute those responsible for the tragedy.
The group has also expressed their criticism over some western powers succumbing to their economic interests with Beijing. “In the course of the past twenty years, the manner in which western democratic countries dealt with China’s June Fourth Massacre was at first sanctions and boycott, but later became “private” negotiations with Chinese leaders.
The group said there have also been subtle shifts in the attitude of these western democratic nations towards the June Fourth Incident as China gradually became more important player in the world economy.
The Tiananmen Mothers have compiled the names of and information regarding 195 individuals who perished in the crackdown.
Human Rights in China (HRIC), which translated the statement from Chinese, urged the Chinese authorities to respond to these “reasonable requests for truth and justice as the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China draws near. The Chinese leadership has a unique opportunity to demonstrate its respect for the lives and dignity of its own citizens, the New York based NGO monitoring human rights issues in China said.
Former Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Deng Xiaoping; former Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Li Peng; former President of the People’s Republic of China, Yang Shangkun; former Mayor of Beijing, Chen Xitong; and former Beijing Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Li Ximing have been named by the group as being responsible for the massacre by Chinese army that left thousands, mostly students, dead.
