Posted on 06/03/2009 2:50:56 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
Glenn Hauser's World of Radio podcast provides news of international broadcasts, especially shortwave. The podcast is available here or here for free in mp3 and realplayer audio file formats.
On June 3, 1989, Radio Beijing's English Service reported, briefly, on the army massacre of civilians in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Episode #1462 of World of Radio begins with the recording of the Radio Beijing announcer's report, then the episode goes on to speculate who the announcer was and what was his fate. Transcript of Radio Beijing announcer follows:
Please remember June the Third, 1989. The most tragic event happened in the Chinese Capital, Beijing. Thousands of people, most of them innocent civilians, were killed by fully-armed soldiers when they forced their way into the city. Among the killed are our colleagues at Radio Beijing.
The soldiers were riding on armored vehicles and used machine guns against thousands of local residents and students who tried to block their way. When the army conveys made the breakthrough, soldiers continued to spray their bullets indiscriminately at crowds in the street.
Eyewitnesses say some armored vehicles even crushed foot soldiers who hesitated in front of the resisting civilians.
Radio Beijing English Department deeply mourns those who died in the tragic incident and appeals to all its listeners to join our protest for the gross violation of human rights and the most barbarous suppression of the people.
Because of the abnormal situation here in Beijing there is no other news we could bring you. We sincerely ask for your understanding and thank you for joining us at this most tragic moment.
I wonder what happened to the announcer. If he was talking that openly against the actions of the Chinese army, he had to have expected that a revolution was about to happen any day and he had picked the anti-government side (or else, for some reason, thought the army had gone rogue).
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