About 100 relatives and friends of students who died in the Tiananmen crackdown 20 years ago braved government pressure and paid tribute at a Beijing cemetery yesterday, a parent said.
Wang Fandi, whose 19-year-old son Wang Nan was killed while taking photos in Changan Avenue on June 4, 1989, said about 100 relatives and friends visited Wanan Cemetery yesterday morning.
'As several dozen of the June 4 victims were buried in the Wanan Cemetery, their relatives and friends were going to sweep the tombs and pay tribute,' he said. But Mr Wang and his wife Zhang Xianling, an activist with the group Tiananmen Mothers, did not go to Wanan yesterday even though their son's urn is there.
'My son's birthday was on April 3, one day before the Ching Ming festival. We have got used to visiting him on that day,' Mr Wang said.
'In fact, many parents of the June 4 victims prefer to pay visits to their children by themselves.'
The authorities were keeping a close eye on dissidents this year, fearing that a string of sensitive anniversaries, including the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, could trigger instability.
