TIANANMEN AT 10

	June 4, 1999
	Ian Williams of Independent Television News reports on the tenth anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown on student-led pro-democracy protests.

IAN WILLIAMS, ITN: For those who led the democracy movement, the memory of its violent suppression, the images of courage and defiance, remain vivid and painful. Han Dongfang led workers into the square in 1989. He now lives in Hong Kong after being jailed, then exiled, and he believes China, ten years on, is more volatile than ever. HAN DONGFANG, Labor Rights Activist: This is a very dangerous country, very dangerous society. The pressure is under the cover. It's really, really big. IAN WILLIAMS: Wuer Kaixi was one of the key student leaders. While on hunger strike, he was filmed in pajamas haranguing Li Peng. That was two weeks before the premier replied after sending in the tanks. Kaixi escaped after the massacre, and he now lives in Taiwan, where he's optimistic about change and can't imagine another Tiananmen. WUER KAIXI, Former Student Leader: They are different now. They are different now. I don't really think they will be able to do exactly the same they did ten years ago. Even the situation in China has changed. If there is another mass movement took place in China, I seriously doubt, but the possibility of another brutal suppression. IAN WILLIAMS: Both men now have their own radio shows. Kaixi hosts a lively chat and music program while Han Dongfang's is part of a more sober campaign for workers' rights in China. HAN DONGFANG:The corruption in China is getting hundreds of times heavier. Why? Because the crackdown gave more opportunities to the corrupted officials. Today when the workers go to the street and protest there with thousands of people, they don't need any students leading them. They don't need any interactions with a mob. They just go there by themselves. They say "we want food. We want right to survive." WUER KAIXI: China has changed enormously -- in many ways, reflecting the dream, the call, the slogans that have been shouted out ten years ago by students. We wanted a market economy. Now we have it. We wanted freer society. We wanted a free society. But we have a freer society today. IAN WILLIAMS: Ten years ago, the Goddess of Democracy, modeled on the Statue of Liberty, became the symbol of the democracy movement. Last month, students targeted western symbols as their biggest and ugliest protest since 1989. It followed NATO's accidental bombing of China's embassy in Belgrade, and was encouraged by the government. HAN DONGFANG: This is a very dangerous game. We say that when you play with fire, you're burning yourself. Fire is dangerous to play under nationalism, so even more dangerous than fire -- I mean especially today's China. WUER KAIX: I think those young people have just thought this is a wonderful opportunity to have a party, sort of. And I was in the very beginning very seriously worried about the nationalism. But then I realized if I were in Beijing, I probably would be in that demonstration. And then I know I'm no nationalism. IAN WILLIAMS: Wuer Kaixi, along with other former student leaders had planned on joining Han Dongfang here in Hong Kong to mark the anniversary. But Hong Kong's now part of China and has refused them entry -- just one sign of how sensitive an issue they and Tiananmen remain.