No End in Sight to Martial Law in Beijing
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BEIJING — China’s leading government spokesman said Tuesday that martial law will continue indefinitely in Beijing because guns seized by demonstrators are still missing and could lead to new unrest.
Yuan Mu, spokesman for the State Council, China’s Cabinet, said: “The struggle hasn’t ended.
“There will be a time limit for martial law, but even I can’t say when that will be,” Yuan said at a news conference.
Yuan said that some citizens stole guns from army trucks during the June 3-4 army assault on pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing and that those guns are still missing.
Some Western diplomats said they doubt that many of the army’s guns have been seized. They say the government is probably using this allegation as a pretext to continue martial law, which makes it easier for authorities to continue their five-week-old nationwide crackdown on dissent.
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