In my eyes down mode, I’ve been coming to the final pages of my new novel’s first draft and yesterday, June 4th, went by without me recognising the 24th Anniversary of the tragedy of the Tiananmen Square riot, demonstration, or, more accurately, massacre that is still not acknowledged as such by the Chinese government who regard it as little more than a counter-revolutionary blip on the great forward march.
We need to remind the world of that dreadful day – the resulting long prison sentences for some of the demonstrators and of course the many deaths (somewhere between 200 and 3000 people died that day) at the hands of Chinese troops on the streets of Beijing.
I hope, but doubt, that new president Xi Jinping of China will see fit to reassess this blot on his great nation’s record. I hope too that on his imminent visit to the USA, he will be reminded of his duty by President Obama.