Freed Chinese Official Is Held Again

The only senior Chinese official jailed for the 1989 pro-democracy protests, who was released Monday, was then placed under virtual house arrest in a country retreat on the outskirts of Beijing, a family member said.

Police moved Bao Tong into a bungalow in the western hills, fearing his public reappearance just days before the anniversary of the June 4 army crackdown on student demonstrators in Tiananmen Square could bring back unwanted memories.

“They’re holding him . . . because of June 4,” his daughter, Bao Jian, said by telephone after meeting with her father.

Bao Tong, former aide to toppled Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, was released after serving a seven-year term for “counterrevolutionary incitement” and leaking state secrets.

Chinese police each year throw a tight security net around the capital in the prelude to the June 4 anniversary, fearing fresh unrest to mark the day in 1989 when the army crushed student-led demonstrations with heavy loss of life.

“They said that he would be held for eight to 10 more days before he can go home,” Bao Jian said.