SoylentNews

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-03/bob-hawke-tiananman-classified-cable/100184916 [abc.net.au]

This is the second document Bob Hawke carried with him, and it was obtained by the ABC from the National Archives of Australia.

He read nearly verbatim from pages 2 and 3 of the document.

"At Tiananmen, the troops who'd first arrived attempted to drive the people away, to separate the students from the ordinary citizens. A last warning was given, and the students prepared to leave," he said.

"They had expected to be given an hour but within five minutes the anti-personnel carriers of the 27th entered the square, firing their machine guns as they came.

"When all those who had not managed to get away were either dead or wounded, foot soldiers went through the square bayoneting or shooting anybody who was still alive.

"They had orders that nobody in the square be spared, and children and young girls were slaughtered, anti-personnel carriers and tanks then ran backwards and forwards over the bodies of the slain until they were reduced to pulp, after which, bulldozers moved in to push the remains into piles which were then incinerated by troops with flamethrowers."

At that point, his voice cracking and with tears in his eyes, he returned to his prepared remarks.

Original Submission