Tiananmen activists launch hunger strike

(Credits: SCMP)

A group of June 4th dissidents launched a five-month hunger strike in memory of those who died in the Tiananmen Square crackdown 25 years ago. The campaign, dubbed a ‘global siege’ in Chinese, also call for accountability from Beijing over the incident.

The campaign will feature protests around the world leading up to the anniversary of the crackdown. There will also be a series of protests at China’s major embassies and diplomatic missions worldwide on June 4 this year.

The hunger strike was started by organizer Wang Dan on New Year’s Day in Taipei, and later joined by lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan in Hong Kong, Hu Jia in Beijing, and Xue Mingde in New York.

Wang said supporters around the world had been passing on the torch since then, and he was confident that the effort would continue until June 4 when it ends.

Wang and the organisers of the campaign had set up a website to recruit volunteers for the cause. They will also host seminars about the crackdown, call international attention to those who died, and compile a list of those whom they believe should be held responsible for the deaths.

Wang is a visiting professor at National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan.