Asia-Pacific News

Deng Xiaoping's daughter defends Tiananman Square student massacre

Jun 24, 2007, 8:30 GMT

Hong Kong - The eldest daughter of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping Sunday defended her father's decision to order troops to crush a student uprising in Beijing in 1989. Speaking on a Hong Kong radio programme, Deng Lin argued that China would have 'descended into chaos' if it had not been for the crackdown in which hundreds, and possibly thousands, of students were killed by troops. She said the decision to order what has become known as the Tiananmen Square massacre was not her father's alone but 'a collective one taken by state leaders.' Deng's remarks follow a long-running controversy in Hong Kong over comments by the leader of a pro-China political party that the 1989 killings should not be referred to as a massacre. Ma Lik's comments are believed to have been partly responsible for a big increase in the turnout at an annual candlelight vigil marking the anniversary of the crackdown. An estimated 55,000 people took part in the June 4 vigil in Hong Kong, the only place on Chinese soil that the killings are publicly commemorated. Pro-democracy activists are planning further protests to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1. Hong Kong was a British colony for 156 years before reverting to Chinese rule under a 'one country, two systems' arrangement guaranteeing political freedoms for 50 years in 1997. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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ObserverJun 24th, 2007 - 16:35:57

Communism, nothing has murdered more people in history!

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AnonyJun 25th, 2007 - 09:32:54

I think it's safe to say that Christianity, or organized religion in general, has killed more people than Communism throughout history.

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Deng Xiaoping's daughter defends Tiananman Square student massacre

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