China Readies New Attack on Dissidents : Crackdown to Include Checks on Beijing Residents’ IDs, Cars

Chinese authorities are preparing to launch a new wave of arrests of alleged “counterrevolutionaries” who supported this spring’s student-led democracy movement, an official newspaper reported Sunday.

As part of a continuing effort to track down and arrest the most active members of the protest movement, all Beijing residents will be required, starting Friday, to carry their personal identification cards whenever they leave their homes, the government-controlled Beijing Daily reported. Checks of motor vehicles and drivers’ licenses also will be stepped up, the newspaper said.

“Counterrevolutionary elements have not been thoroughly cleaned up, and motor vehicles often are used as tools of crimes,” the newspaper said. “Therefore, the martial-law troops and police must, according to the law, strengthen inspections of motor vehicles and drivers.”

Reports of Attacks on Troops

Persistent reports have circulated among Chinese citizens and diplomats in Beijing that scattered incidents of violent attacks on martial-law troops, including drive-by shootings of soldiers, have taken place this summer.

Dozens of semiautomatic weapons are believed to have fallen into the hands of protesters during the chaotic night of June 3-4, when soldiers shot their way into Beijing, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people who sought to block their path. Diplomats and Chinese have expressed belief that some of these weapons have been used in late-night attacks on soldiers.

The number of martial-law soldiers standing 24-hour guard at bridges, intersections and in the embassy district has been reduced in recent weeks, and at least in the daytime, a superficial calm has settled over the city. But the sound of gunfire still is sometimes heard late at night. It is seldom possible to learn who fired the shots or why.

Martial-law troops still stand guard at Tian An Men Square, the central site of the pro-democracy movement. Vehicles, including bicycles, are allowed to pass the square, but pedestrian traffic is barred except for those with special permission to sightsee.

Many Remain Angered

Government propaganda has sought to portray the brutal June 3-4 suppression of the protests as a necessary and proper response to a “counterrevolutionary rebellion.” But many people remain deeply angered by the killings.

In recent days, there have been various signs that hard-liners in the government--presumably aware of the failure to convert most city residents to the official view of events--have been preparing to take more severe measures.

Some intellectuals and government critics have shown indications of growing fear for their own personal safety or career positions.

A Western businessman in Beijing said that Chinese friends recently told him that military bases north of the city have been prepared to receive an expected wave of new detainees, some of whom might be subjected to political indoctrination and “labor reform.” Friday evening, there were exceptionally large-scale movements of canvas-covered military cargo trucks in the city, most of them apparently empty but some carrying soldiers.

The official press has run several recent articles escalating harsh rhetoric against ousted Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who has been accused of contributing to the turmoil by siding with the student protesters.

‘Paid in Blood’

“The people and the party paid in blood for his serious mistakes,” the Guangming Daily said in a fierce attack against Zhao on Friday. “There must be further disclosure and criticism of Comrade Zhao Ziyang’s errors.”

Zhao, who has not been seen in public since May 19, the day before martial law was declared, is presumed to be under house arrest in Zhongnanhai, the party and government compound near Tian An Men Square. Although removed from his high positions, he has not been stripped of Communist Party membership or charged with any crime.

The question of what further action to take concerning Zhao is believed to be a major point of controversy within China’s top leadership. The more severely Zhao is treated, the more likely it is that harsh action will be taken against other reformers and advocates of political liberalization.