Posted on 09/22/2006 4:03:08 AM PDT by MadIvan
A CHINESE factory worker has been released after serving 17 years in jail for setting fire to a military vehicle during the Tiananmen Square democracy protest.
Zhang Maosheng was 21 in 1989 when he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on charges of counter-revolutionary arson. His sentence was commuted to life in prison and then reduced several times for good behaviour.
Contacted at his mother's Beijing home, Mr Zhang, now 38, confirmed he was released on 13 September after 17 years and three months in jail. He declined to speak further, saying that the conditions of his parole forbid him from talking to the media.
Thousands of people were rounded up by authorities after the Chinese military crushed the seven-week, university student-led protest movement on 4 June, 1989, killing hundreds.
According to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 15,000 people were sentenced to death or prison terms following the government's crackdown on the demonstrators. At least 200 remain in jail, it said.
Many of the harshest sentences were given, not to the educated leaders of the protest movement, but to ordinary workers such as Mr Zhang who took part in resisting the military assault.
The centre said that Mr Zhang suffers numerous health problems caused by his long prison stay, including an inflamed prostate and kidney stones. Relatives said that Mr Zhang is unsure what he will be able to do now, particularly because he has no education, job or savings.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I recently saw a re-airing of a documentary about Tiananmen. A self-righteous Asian-American reporter for the NYTimes was giggling as she recalled the sights that she saw. She remembered musing at the time... wondering how all of these students could be so passionate about democracy, when (according to her) they had no idea what a democracy truly is.
I wanted to throw the lamp at the television, I was so angry. These leftists toy with humanity. It was as if this reporter didn't find these brave souls worthy of freedom. May God have mercy on her soul.
Then there's that queer little animal, the Scottish Socialist Party, full of whingers, gobshite and ne'er do wells.
Scottish politics is a cesspool.
Regards, Ivan
Current Members of the Scottish Parliament, by Party
You'll note that people I despise control it - the Scottish Parliament is run by a coalition of the Liberals and Labour.
The Green Party, Scottish Socialists and "Solidarity" (a splinter group from the Scottish Socialists) also have representatives, when actually they should be in jail for treason.
Regards, Ivan
Much appreciated.
I Googled it and didn't find anything.
I had worked around one "engineer", a woman who had graduated from Berserkley. Chinese descent, but sounded like a California valley girl. She actually cheered for the tanks.
Perhaps others, as well as I, have this idealized position that Scotland is very conservative and as a whole, very grounded in values....like something out of old movies.
What I'm trying to say is my idea of Scotland probably only exists in my imagination.
Sounds like they struggle against conflicting forces the same as you and I in our respective countries.
I will never forget this customer I had. My last job before I became a stay at home mom, I was a waitress up in Willow Grove and Doylestown,PA. I had this one customer that completely unnerved and intimidated me. Usually my customers loved me, Southern charm and I genuinely cared about them. :)
As a consequence to being disconcerted by his scowl and negative attitude, I always got his order wrong in some way. Every.single.time.
But what I remember most is that he said he'd been in China and Tiananmen Square just hadn't happened the way it was being reported. There'd been no murders, no students mowed down.
I have never figured that one out, I've always wondered about that, how he could believe such a thing.
Thanks for this article.
This may not have been your intention, but the blatant hatred and stupidity on her part brought tears to my eyes. Actually, I find there are no words...
It's hard to believe it was 17 years ago!
I remember well.
That man ought to seek asylum ... .
I had my shortwave radio then and I remember listening live to the Radio Beijing English-language broadcast as it happened as the brave announcer said the following (which I found on Google, my memory isn't that good)
"June 4, 1989. The most tragic events happened in the Chinese Capital Beijing. Thousands of innocent civilians were killed by millitary troops as they forced their way into the center of the City. Among the killed, there were our collegues of Radio Beijing. Even after the millitary convey forced into the crowds, they shot indiscriminately."
Soon they went back to broadcasting the official government line, and I assume that announcer has not been heard from again.
Having family in Hong Kong, the situation was watched very closely.
The entire office was shocked, including some engineers who immigrated from Mainland China. One had horror stories about being a student during the "Cultural Devolution" (my term, but he did call it an accurate assessment). She forced an extreme political correct environment in her work area. She was eventually fired, and of course tried suing the company (one of the top engineering and construction companies)
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