h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And, what do you know about the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989?
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My guess would be, not much.

One can draw a parallel between Tiananmen and a sordid episode of otherwise exemplary colonial history of British India, the Jallianwala bagh incident around 1919 where the British Indian soldiers fired 1650 rounds and the fatalities were estimated as high as 1800 casualties (many I guess were trampled). This galvanized the freedom movement in India. It took 28 years from that day for India to gain independence.

It has been 19 years since Tiananmen, and one can only hope that the Chinese citizens do not have to wait that long, especially since the government there does not seem as benevolent as the British in India.

All indications from the history books is that the problem of the British in India was not freedom of speech as much as irritating racial discrimination of the "natives".

"not much" would be my guess too.
But i'd really like an answer from zhanglanlam and mengyan to both those questions.

1. Why didn't you answer major tso's question? Are you really too scared to criticize your government in any way?
2. What do you know about the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989?






I wonder whether we'll actually get an answer from them at all.

I wonder whether we'll actually get an answer from them at all.
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I hope we do get the answers, but they might be afraid we may have to sing the following ballad in case they speak their mind(apologies to the American folk singer Pete Seger):

Where have all the Chinese gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the Chinese gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the Chinese gone?
Chinese psyops have picked them all
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

It is scary.

The guy who stood in front of those tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989 must be one of the greatest heroes in history. A Chinese student, and one of the bravest men ever. But these people debating with us probably know nothing of him.

What is more, no-one knows what happened to him.

Postings by Chinese seem to have stopped on all H2G2 Tibet conversations. I don't know if it is due to time differences.

But I hope our Chinese friends on the conversations are safe.

Yes, I worry about them.

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There is a similarity to Kosovo, in that Kosovo - previously Serbian - has been flooded with Albanians, and Tibet has had a massive influx of Chinese, diluting its Tibetan identity.

Here's how the Chinese government stops Chinese people knowing about what's happening:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7171648.stm

, hi,WG, let me answer your defiant questions, I'm a Chinese who had worked for a UK consultant for about 8 years. I went back to China two years ago.

a) It is assumed that you are not scared of the truth in China, that's why I try to say some words here. daily criticism to local authorities or central government is quite common here in China, but riots are not allowed, same as UK or USA, I think.

b) yes, most of my friends here knew what happened in 1989, now it is an internet era, isn't it? two or three years ago, I remember I saw such a documentary by a USA producer in HK. Nothing to splurge, you can come to talk with most of Chinese here, hehe, brainwashed people? say that as you wish, you will find the only difficult in communication is just language or prejudice, (sorry, don't know where you are from.) In fact, although Chinese here complains all day on the CPI, housing price, salary level, corruptions , pollutions and noisy sites everywhere and etc. they would not allow a separated Tibet, even talking about it by you guys. hehe, :+D.. Same as stubborn as Scottish.

PurpleDavidL,

You still haven't answered the question: Is there any action of the Chinese government that YOU do not like? Saying that there are daily criticisms is not an answer since it is too ambiguous and vague, but I guess it meets the approval of the Chinese government.

It is the non-violent defiance of wrongful authority by an INDIVIDUAL person, as in the case of the heroic Tankman at Tienanmen, that defines freedom. In China, that expression of freedom resulted in brutal killings of many by the "authorities". In the US or UK, the police would not go about shooting innocent victims in such situations. So, don't even mention China and US/UK in the same breath.

It is preposterous to compare China on the one hand and US/UK on the other on human rights.

You don't even mention Tienanmen massacre by name, only referring to "what happened in 1989". Can't you even mention the riots in Tiananmen by name? Afraid?

WG,you are crazy, hehe, ok, tankman, you want a clear action of Chinese government I don't like , to demonstrate what? I'm not the minion of Mao? Ridiculous! Is there anything different to what you don't like to your government? It is same. There are always many things I enjoy here, also many I don;t like. Should this meet any approval of Chinese government? Where are these strange ideas come from? What a place to you think China is, a prison?

I don;t think it is preposterous to compare China with UK or US. Chinese is also human being in this globe. Don't you agree? Same as Iraq people.

Tiananmen Massacre? I'm so terrified... nonsense, don't you think it is just an image formulated in your simple brain....I knew there were many young guys involved in that event died 19 years ago, so what, then should we do something for this country to improve it or just see it is divided into pieces? WG, I guess you could understand a peaceful land is all we want, so as you can expect from your homeland.

Ok, it is time for bed.....seeya

sorry, I didn't see it clear, the previous message is from majesto... anyway, if you two have similar questions..

I'm disappointed at not being called a "wicked gangster", "uncouth lackey" or some other excellent North Korea-style insult yet. Some of the "ordinary Chinese who are very strong supporters of the CCP" posters seemed to be getting rather close.

purpleDavidL,

1. You have difficulty understanding a question in English. The question was about a SPECIFIC action of your government that YOU dislike or disagree with. Instead of answering the question, you fly off the handle trying to indirectly sing praises of your government. I can only conclude that, considering the dire consequences of your speaking your mind, you have chosen to shoot the messenger (that is, I), or shoot yourself in the foot.

If I were in the US or UK and disagreed with my government, say about its actions in Iraq, I could protest in most vehement terms and as loudly as I want without having to worry about harm to me caused by my government. That is freedom. The Scottish that you have cited have protested in favour of devolution for a long time. Can you indulge in similar protests in China? If you think can, here are my best wishes.

2. I can not believe any civilized human being can say "so what" about the government caused death of human beings protesting the follies of their government. My "simple brain" tells me you are a machine-brainwashed question dodger who does not have an independent mind of your own; your government owns you, and you do its bidding.

Hey purpleDavidL,
The guy who stood in front of those tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989 must be one of the greatest heroes in history.

What happened to him afterwards? Any idea?
He appears to have been liquidated one way or another.

To majortso: Some of Chinese can't stand for all the Chinese nationality People. I think you know this. How do you know there's no western people do menial work in China than go back their country????

To Zagreb and WG:

Do you two always live in past??? Can you two give a straight answer what have you seen from the following vedios? You know what we are talking about.
You can search more from Youtube.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uSQnK5FcKas&feature=related

To Zagreb:
Do you think you are smart? You guessed too much how much do you think you are right??

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Sorry, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that Tiananmen Square was a long time ago (nearly 20 years) and it's not relevant any more?

Unfortunately for technical reasons I can't download the videos.

You avoided answering my question:
The guy who stood in front of those tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989 must be one of the greatest heroes in history.
What happened to him afterwards? Any idea?

1 noop,Majortso, I have no difficult to understand you, however, you should learn to distinguish what means no necessary and what is a meaningless bravura. Your conclusion is unreasonable, I need not to shoot you or me myself. I guess you never check Chinese websites/forums in China, in many aspects, including political system and human rights, there are many specific cases, the government was criticized and protested.

2 OK, as a "machine-brainwashed question dodger" or a "non civilized human being", you may add some more words after these two, I understand you are utterly discomfited that I can not accept your value to that events, because you never figure out what we, who live here in China, are thinking about. I just tell you, "simple brain", I own myself, say what I like to say on this land, choose a life style I myself like and try to save some more money to plan a next vacation with my family.

Furthermore, I hope you simple brain can understand, when you protest in most vehement terms, no matter in UK or China, never turn them into riots. I don;t think you have rights to make other lives into risk.

WG, that's meaningless, no one remember that guy, you mean a hero in history? noop, he lives in your mind..... let him be there, all the time.

It is ridicules to find such guy out for your curiosity. Do you remember any name of any bomb-suiciders died in Israel? They are supposed to have more courages then you can image... nothing to show off I guess....it is just a question from a machine washed brain..

1. You still do not answer the specific question: Is there any action that your gonernment took that YOU do not like or disagree with. I don;t care how many times someone else criticized the government or protested its actions. I mean YOU, no one else.

I think I should justr give up on getting an answer. I know you are scared of CCP ghost coming after you if you give a direct answer.

Another question: Have you ever stood up fopr your rights in China when it went against CCP? Your actions in UK do not count because it is a democratic country VERY much UNLIKE China.


2. I do not have to call you anything. Your SILENCE on the questions is deafening.

3. It is the Chinese who flooded Tibet with its hapless souls, and then turned their guns on innocent Tibetans. If you can believe that the people killed at Tienanmen were inconsequential, you and your government is subhuman.

FREE TIBET! FREE XINJIANG! FREE OLYMPICS!