Tiananmen Square, 21 Years Later

Twenty-one years ago in Beijing, hundreds and hundreds died when the Chinese government used military force to halt pro-democracy demonstrations by the Chinese people.

Commemorating the event, or even discussing it, is not allowed on the Chinese mainland.

BEIJING (AP) -- Tourist throngs and kite-flyers milled around Tiananmen Square on Friday under the watchful eye of security forces on alert for any attempt to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.

In the semiautonomous Chinese territory Hong Kong, thousands were expected to attend a candlelight vigil later Friday.

China's government has never fully disclosed what happened when the military crushed the weekslong, student-led protests on the night of June 3-4, 1989, possibly killing thousands of students, activists and ordinary citizens. It has long maintained that the protests were a "counterrevolutionary riot."

Public discussion of the events or any displays referencing them remain forbidden on the mainland.

Security on the square is always high and Friday was no exception, though police seemed less aggressive than on the 20th anniversary. Last year, plainclothes police swarmed the square and used pastel-colored umbrellas to prevent television crews from filming. An Associated Press cameraman was allowed to film Friday.

...On Thursday night in Beijing, the leader of the Tiananmen Mothers group held a brief candlelight vigil at the spot in western Beijing where her son was killed in the crackdown. A line of police kept the media away, and Ding Zilin and her husband were surrounded by strangers who appeared to be blocking any filming of the event.

"I didn't know any of them," the husband, Jiang Jielian, said afterward by phone. "We went there alone."

He said Ding fainted afterward but was fine.

The couple has been able to hold such vigils sometimes in the past, but not for last year's 20th anniversary.

Earlier Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman reiterated the government's position on the 1989 protests.

Asked by a reporter about the Tiananmen demonstrations, Jiang Yu said: "About the political issue you mentioned ... there has already been a clear conclusion."

"The development path chosen has been in the clear interest of the Chinese people," she said.

This serves as a reminder of how precious our freedom is, and how blessed we are to be Americans.

It's also a warning to us. We must always remain vigilant in terms of protecting our rights and not allowing more and more government intervention in our lives.

We must never forget the lessons of Tiananmen Square. Be the guy standing in front of the tanks.