Tiananmen Square, the South China Morning Post and historical rewrites

From the December 11, 2008 edition of the South China Morning Post.

June 3-4, 1989

"Violent confrontations break out between soldiers and residents. PLA troops force protestors off the square."

"Confrontations break out" means tanks rolling into the square, over the bodies of demonstrators, and troops executing unarmed civilians. The residents sought to protect the student protestors and delay the tanks. The PLA then put the country on lockdown and the administration hunted down students and residents and either executed or incarcerated them. Thousands were murdered.

Kudos to the journos at the Post for standing up to their governors in Beijing and telling it like it was.

FOOTNOTE: The Post was also first to break the news that the tanks that would roll into Hong Kong carrying PLA troops shortly after midnight on July 1, 1997 were in fact "armoured personnel carriers." Not tanks at all. A very important distinction if you crushed by one.