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Taiwan urges Beijing to reflect on Tiananmen Incident

2017-06-02
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Chiu Chui-cheng(Photo courtesy of CNA)
Chiu Chui-cheng(Photo courtesy of CNA)
Taipei, June 1 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday called on Beijing to reflect on the Tiananmen Square incident (or June Fourth massacre), a series of demonstrations in China in 1989 that culminated on June 4 with a deadly government crackdown at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are universal values and common ways of life cherished by people around the world, Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of the MAC, said at a regular press conference.

The MAC hopes that China will "think carefully about the historical significance and important revelations of the June Fourth incident," and "rationally respond to its people's demands to implement democracy and protect human rights," in order to facilitate a more open, fair and just society, Chiu said.

He also lent support to the commemorative events hosted in Hong Kong every year, urging the government there to respect and protect the rights of its people to commemorate the Tiananmen Square incident.

"We hope that the other side of the strait can hear diverse voices and treat people with different opinions with kindness, so that it can earn the support of the people and the respect of the international community," he said.

Taiwan also hopes to influence China with its own experience of transforming from an authoritarian society into a democratic one over the past few decades, Chiu said.

The Tiananmen Square massacre remains a taboo subject in China. After weeks of pro-democracy protests in 1989, Chinese troops and tanks fired on civilians in Tiananmen Square on June 4. Estimates of the death toll range from several hundreds to thousands.

The MAC is expected to issue a formal statement in the coming days to address the 28th anniversary of the incident. It has become a customary practice for the MAC and Taiwan's presidents to issue statements each year to mark the anniversary of the incident.

In the press conference on Thursday, Chiu also called on Beijing to properly handle the case of Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che and to protect his basic human rights.

Lee, who used to work for Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and is currently a staff member at Wenshan Community College in Taipei, as well as a volunteer at the local NGO Covenant Watch, went missing after entering China via Macao on March 19.

The Chinese government said on May 26 that Lee had been arrested on charges of "subversion of state power" and had been in detention in Hunan Province since March 19.

Lee's wife and Taiwan's government have urged Beijing to release him, insisting he did nothing wrong and had only shared Taiwan's experience in democracy with Chinese people on Wechat. At the very least, they say Chinese authorities should allow his family to visit him, reveal details about the charges, and ensure Lee gets a fair trial. 

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