Diary criticises pair of Hong Kong journalists for their role

As the diary supposedly penned by former Premier Li Peng came to light, it stirred mixed emotions in those who were involved in the Tiananmen student movement of 1989, including two former Hong Kong reporters, Lau Yui-siu and Cheung Kit-fung, who are accused in the diaries of being grey eminences behind the students.

Meanwhile, historians and political analysts have welcomed the diary as an additional point of reference and urged the authorities to release more information about those two turbulent months for public discussion, which would be essential not only for unearthing the truth but also the country's well-being.

Twenty-one years on, Lau is a political commentator in Hong Kong, while Cheung has left journalism. The pair were described in Li's diaries as 'Hong Kong Wen Wei Po's Beijing correspondent, a supporter of the turmoil', and 'Hong Kong reactionary magazine Pai Shing correspondent'. They were mentioned in the context of their frequent contacts with 'well-connected' mainland magazine deputy editor Gao Yu , whom Li considered a mastermind of the movement.

'Most students who participated in the riots were being kept in the dark, and there definitely were 'people with beards' [older people] behind them, and people with international background,' Li repeatedly says in his diaries.

Lau, who was banned for a total of eight years from entering China, disputed Li's labelling and interpretation of his connection with Gao, who was later jailed, or other liberals, saying that he was simply doing his job as a journalist.

However, he welcomed the book, because 'it would be good to learn more of the official viewpoint on the matter'. 'The more viewpoints, the better. People and history will form their own judgments,' Lau said.

He said that while the book would trigger debates that might be seen as 'elements of instability' by the authorities, China was now in a better position to have such debates.