A Hong Kong television station’s signal was blocked in China when it aired a special marking Beijing’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square 20 years ago, a newspaper reported yesterday.
The half-hour program produced and aired by Hong Kong broadcaster ATV late on Saturday to commemorate the politically sensitive June 4 anniversary was replaced by several videos promoting tourism and a separate travel special, Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News reported.
While the Tiananmen crackdown, which killed hundreds, is freely discussed in Hong Kong and commemorated annually with a candlelight vigil that typically draws tens of thousands of people, the incident remains taboo in China. The Chinese government still considers the protests “counterrevolutionary” riots and has never given a full account of the crackdown.
The special included footage of students killed in the crackdown, tanks participating in the military action and fires in Tiananmen Square. It also showed interviews with students, academics and workers who took part in the protests.
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