Does anyone know whatever happened to that young man? Did he die in the massacre at Tianamen Square?
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as the world anxiously watched the unfolding drama of the Chinese students' quest for freedom and democracy, one haunting image stands out as symbolic of the courageous plight of these students--the brave student who stood unarmed in front of a long line of army tanks and turned them back. This hero was identified as Wang Wei Lin.
He, like many of those courageous students and workers who fought against the brutal military forces, apparently died at the hands of the Chinese Government. The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, reported on June 18 that Wang Wei Lin was feared executed by Chinese authorities:
Using his body of flesh and blood, Wang Wei Lin, a 19-year-old student who blocked a convoy of tanks near Tiananmen Square, is feared to be already executed.
The London Weekly Express reports Wang Wei Lin, a factory worker's son, has already been arrested by the secret police. All over the world, hundreds of millions of viewers saw Wang Wei Lin on the second day of the Tiananmen bloodbath. Using his body of flesh and blood stopping 20 tanks while shouting, `Turn Back! Do not kill my compatriots!'
Express Mail reports Wang was arrested three kilometers from where he stopped the tanks. He was accused of being a counter-revolutionary, traitor, political hoodlum, and also attempting to disrupt the People's Liberation Army.
During a government broadcast against the pro-democracy movement by a state-controlled TV station, Wang's friend identified him among a parade of dissidents. Wang's hair was shaven. In China, only the accused prisoners have their heads shaved. Wang's friend says that he thinks that he has already been executed.
He also said, `He is a hero. If Wang is publicly executed, he would become a martyr. His execution would draw protests from the whole world.' Unconfirmed sources said that the commanding officer of the column of tanks was demoted and reprimanded--Because of Wang Wei Lin, the People's Liberation Army lost face in front of the whole world.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Wang Wei Lin and to the other brave Chinese students and workers who died in China in the struggle for freedom and democratic reforms in their homeland. These young people indicated the unwavering and irrevocable commitment to liberty and human rights by placing their lives on the line for these values.
I invite my colleagues to join me today in honoring and paying tribute to Wang Wei Lin and those who participated with him in the struggle for the democratic future of China.