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On June 1, FAPA joined the candlelight
vigil commemorating the 19th anniversary
Tiananmen Massacre hosted by Wei
Jingsheng Foundation in front of the
Chinese embassy in Washington, DC. The
event was cosponsored by Amnesty
International, China Support Network,
Tiananmen Mothers, International
Committee to Support the Non-Violent
Movement for Human Rights in Vietnam and
Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition.
Speech as delivered
by Iris Ho
It's my honor today to join Mr. Wei, Ms.
Huang and you all here to commemorate
the 19th memorial service of the
Tiananmen Massacre. The news of the
massacre and the image of the brave
student standing in front of a tank is
one of those few iconic images of the
century that leaves a permanent mark and
lasting impact. That inerasable image of
the student and the tank continuously
renews our deepest sympathy for the
Chinese human rights movement. It also
continuously reminds the world of the
Communist Chinese government's guilt in
the violent crackdown of the June 4
protest, their guilt in covering up
afterwards and their guilt in refusing
to face what really happened till today.
The memorial service today is extra
poignant as the Olympics Games will be
taking place in two months in Beijing.
Many people have argued for Beijing
hosting the Olympics, have defended for
Beijing's human rights performance that
they say has improved, or have argued
that it will hurt the Chinese people's
feelings if we boycott the Olympics.
I will tell them this. I carry a
Washington Post article with me every
day, tucking it in my appointment book.
The article "The Real China and the
Olympics" was printed on April 5, the
day when human rights activist Hu Jia
was sentenced to 3 and half years in
prison for co-authoring an open letter
on human rights and the Olympics. As
detailed in the letter, printed in its
entirety by the Post, the Chinese
government's systematic persecuted
anyone who got in the way of a
"harmonious" Olympics, brutally and
permanently silencing their voices if
necessary. A 56 year old woman farmer
and vegetable dealer was beaten to death
by city patrols in Jiangsu in July 2005.
A 54 year old bicycle repairman was
beaten to death by city patrols in Wuxi
in November 2005. A petitioner was
killed by the Shanghai police in January
2007. The list goes on in his letter.
Then I will ask these people who defend
for China to look me in the eye and tell
me whether China still deserves the
Olympics Games.
The Communist Chinese government can
keep hiding behind their authoritarian
power but history never forgets. I was
15 years old when Tiananmen massacre
happened. Taiwan was not a democracy
itself. Now Taiwan is a democracy and I
along with you live in the U.S., one of
the freest and greatest countries in the
world. As the Burmese democracy leader
Aung Sang Suu Kyi said, "Use your
liberty to promote ours". I urge all of
us to use our liberty to promote theirs
in China and elsewhere.
As long as we stay united, vigilant and
outspoken in this fight for human rights
and democracy for the people in China
and in other oppressed countries, truth
and freedom will come. I long for the
day when ordinary Chinese citizens can
publicly protest about any topic of
their choosing, at any place of their
choosing and at any time of their
choosing. Let's remember - There will be
a crack eventually in everything,
especially something as outdated as
Communism. That's where and how the
light of freedom and liberty comes in.
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