June 4 1989. The day nothing happened
In the run-up to the Tiananmen Square crackdown’s 20th anniversary this year, a feisty debate took place last week at the University of Hong Kong. Exchange students from the mainland discussed the events that took place on the 4th of June 1989 together with *cough* well-informed and critical students from Hong Kong. The Chinese from the motherland contributed with predictable statements and questions such as: ‘Not a drop of blood was spilled in Tiananmen,’ and ‘Why were some men of the People’s Liberation Army killed by the students if it was a ‘peaceful’ demonstration?’
What’s a bit more disturbing however, is that some Hong Kong students apparantly have rather similar views. How else can we interpret the rejection of City University student Harry Chan Kai-fung ’s plan to write a piece about the crackdown? Deemed not important enough by his student union. In addition, student union president Ayo Chan Yi-ngok of the University of Hong Kong was recently urged to apologise for claiming that one of the Tiananmen protest leaders was a nutty ‘runaway student leader.’
Well, the above behavior does fit nicely with growing pro-China sentiments in Hong Kong. So.. whatever you think that happened, it didn’t. Just move along now folks.
















