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Seeing refugees: Remembering Tiananmen twenty-five years on

Seeing refugees: Remembering Tiananmen twenty-five years on

On 4 June, twenty-five years ago, the Chinese government turned the guns of the People’s Liberation Army on their own people as they protested peacefully in the streets of Beijing. It was a response so gross and ruthless that it left the rest of the world dumbstruck. In Australia, it precipitated an elegiac moment in our history; the last time a leader of one of the major parities responded to the plight of asylum seekers humanly. Prime Minister Bob Hawke sobbed as he promised Chinese students studying in Australia that if they didn’t want to return home they wouldn’t have to: Australia would offer them shelter.

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Abbott Lacks Tact On Asia

Abbott Lacks Tact On Asia

Tony Abbott’s North Asian tour today takes him to China. He should expect a frosty reception after broadcasting that the US-Japanese alliance is more important, writes Tim Robertson from Beijing.

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