Tiananmen Papers Taken Seriously: Editor

China News Digest, 22 March 2001

[CND, 03/22/01] Perry Link, the co-editor of the Tiananmen Papers, said in Hong Kong that the release of the documents has been taken seriously by top leaders in China, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.

Speaking at the Freedom Forum, Link said that top leaders have asked Poliburo members to demonstrate their political correctness and have made it mandatory for senior officials to watch a video to shield them from the negative impact of the book.

Link believed that these are signs that the official verdict of the 1989 crackdown on democracy movement might be overturned.

ZHANG Liang, the compiler of the book, hoped to revive the impetus of political reform in China through the book. He believed that once those documents are read by Poliburo members, it is hopeful that the members could see it in a different light and change their view about the events and the verdict.

Link denied allegations that Zhang Liang has intended to make money out of the book. It is nothing compared to the personal risk he is taking, Link said.

According to Link, more than 40,000 copies of the book have been sold. (Dong LIU)