Fri, Jun 05, 2009 page1

• TIANANMEN 20 YEARS ON: Ma calls on China to face ‘painful’ past

  MIXED MESSAGE The president said in a statement on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre that China deserved praise for progress on human rights

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday lauded China’s efforts to address human rights issues but called on Beijing to face the “painful history” of its bloody military crackdown on demonstrations at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

  In a statement released on the 20th anniversary of the massacre, Ma described the 1989 killing as “painful history that must be courageously dealt with.”

  Taiwan, too, has a tragic past, but its government has made efforts to ease the pain and advance social reconciliation, he said.

  

  Top: A man blocks a column of army tanks on Chang’an Avenue east of Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989. Bottom: Cars drive down the same section of the avenue yesterday on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

  PHOTO: REUTERS

  “An arms race or fierce competition on the diplomatic front are the last thing both sides want to see,” he said. “What we need most is improvement of the rule of law and human rights. They are universal values that should become the common language of the people on both sides so they will see a future that is free and democratic for their children and future generations of all Chinese.”

  Ma praised China for economic reforms that had improved the lives of Chinese and said China deserved praise for efforts to improve its human rights record.

  “Although its efforts [to improve human rights] have received mixed reviews from the international community, they have shown that Beijing is willing to address the issue and become more open,” he said.

  Ma, who during his terms as Taipei mayor was a vocal critic of Beijing’s crackdown on the 1989 protests, has kept a low profile on the subject since taking office. He issued a short statement on last year’s anniversary and did not attend any commemorative events.

  The Presidential Office said Ma would not attend any of the events this year, either.

  Ma returned from his 10-day visit to Central America last night. His statement was released while he was on the plane. A close aide to Ma said the statement was revised more than 20 times and the tone was stronger than last year.

  The aide said Ma should focus on China’s prospects for democratization and the impact of the Tiananmen Square Massacre on cross-strait relations rather than the concerns of individual democracy activists, although the president was not opposed to meeting them if his schedule allowed.

  Ma drew criticism last month for declining to meet exiled Chinese democracy activist Wang Dan (王丹), one of the student leaders of the 1989 protests. The Presidential Office said Ma did not have time for the meeting.

  Ma said in yesterday’s statement that Beijing had signed the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in addition to publishing several white papers on human rights and unveiling an action plan on human rights in April.

  Last month, Ma signed the two UN conventions after the legislature approved them, along with a law giving them legal force.

  Over the next two years, Ma said in the statement, the government will complete a blanket review of all laws and regulations to identify any that conflict with the two UN covenants to be amended as soon as possible.

  Ma said he was happy to see both sides of the Taiwan Strait had taken concrete action to improve their human rights records.

  “Such a sound development should not be [temporary] but an irreversible trend,” he said.

  Also See: Group battles apathy to remember victims

  Also See: EDITORIAL: Democracy in whose words?

  Also See: The hope before the storm: remembering the spring of 1989
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