Chinese dissidents disappear on the 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre

By Deputy Chief EditorJune 4, 2019

176 2 minutes read

Police officer guards Tiananmen Square on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 protests in Beijing, China — Police officers stand guard under umbrellas as visitors flock to Tiananmen Square on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 protests in Beijing, China (Picture: EPA)

epa07623653 A police vehicle is seen guarding the entrance of a road along the east side of Tiananmen Square on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, China, 04 June 2019. Security tightened around Tiananmen Square as 04 June 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests where the subsequent military crackdown by authorities caused a vast number of civilians' deaths and injuries. EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG — A police vehicle is seen guarding the entrance of a road along the east side of Tiananmen Square today (Picture: EPA)

Security has been stepped up around Tiananmen Square on the 30th anniversary of the bloody government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Chinese officials have removed several high-profile dissents by either placing them under house arrest or removing their phones.

At the same time, extra checkpoints in the square have been installed while streets are now closed to tourists who have arrived to watch the daily flag-raising ceremony.

Hundreds, if not thousands of people are believed to have been killed in Beijing in 1989 when the government sent in the military to clear Tiananmen Square of protesters.

The operation began on the night of June 3 and ended the following morning.

For many Chinese people, the 30th anniversary of the crackdown will pass like any other day.

Any commemoration of the event is not allowed in mainland China, and the government has blocked access to information about it on the internet.

Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil for victims of the Chinese government's brutal military crackdown three decades ago on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square at Victoria Park in Hong Kong Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Hong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) — Thousands of people attend a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park, Hong Kong, for victims of the Chinese governments brutal military crackdown three decades ago (Picture: AP)

HONG KONG, HONG KONG - JUNE 04: Students place flowers in front of the 'Pillar of Shame' statue, an art piece dedicated to the victims of the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre, at the University of Hong Kong on June 4, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. As many as 180,000 people are expected to attend a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Tuesday during the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre as commemorations took place in cities around the world on June 4 to remember those who died when Chinese troops cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Thirty years ago, the People's Liberation Army opened fire and killed from hundreds to thousands of protesters in Beijing after hundreds of thousands of students and workers gathered in Tiananmen Square for weeks to call for greater political freedom. No-one knows for sure how many people were killed as China continues to censor any coverage or discussion of the event that takes place during the anniversary.(Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) — Students place flowers in front of the Pillar of Shame statue, an art piece dedicated to the victims of the 1989 Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre, at the University of Hong Kong (Picture: Getty)

When asked by foreign journalists, the government defended its actions on that night by pointing to the countrys economic success since then.

The tremendous achievements in Chinas development in the past 70 years have fully proven that the development path we have chosen is completely correct, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

Analysts say the crackdown set the ruling Communist Party on a path of repression and control that continues to this day.

In China, the massacre is known as the June Fourth Incident.

The government rebuked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for saying that China needed to make a full, public accounting of those killed or missing to give comfort to the many victims of this dark chapter of history.

In April 1989, more than one million pro-democracy protesters occupied Tiananmen Square.

It was the largest political demonstration in Chinas history and lasted six weeks until government troops rolled in and opened fire.

The government always denied that anyone was shot dead in the square itself.