CONFIDENTIAL
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4. ON THE SAME DAY, SIX DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HELD A TWO HOUR PUBLIC MEETING AT DEMOCRACY WALL IN PEKING ATTENDED ABOUT 800 PEOPLE, THE SECURITY AUTHORITIES ADOPTED A HANDS OFF?"
POLICY TOWARDS IT, THE SPEAKERS INSISTED THAT THEY WERE DOING NO MORE THAN EXERCISING THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, AND THEIR NAMES WERE ANNOUNCED, FOR THE FIRST TIME. THEY DID NOT MINCE THEIR WORDS ABOUT THEIR DETERMINATION TO OPPOSE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE
TO REVERSE THE TREND TO GREATER FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ABOLISH
THE DEMOCRACY WALL. ONE SPEAKER ASSERTED THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE
AS FREE TO TALK NON-MARXIST-LENINIST LANGUAGE AS HUA AND DENG ARE TO TALK IN MARXİST-LENĪNIST TERMS. THIS EVOKED THE LOUDEST CHEER
OF THE DAY.
5. MEANWHILE, LEADERS OF TWO HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE TOLD US THAT, UNDER THE DIRECTION FROM THE PARTY CENTRE, THE PEKING MUNI CIPAL REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE HAS WITHDRAWN THE DOCUMENT WHICH EXPRESSED THE DISAPPROVAL OF PEKING CITY OFFICIALS TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF POSTERS AND UNOFFICIAL CONTACTS WITH FOREIGNERS. THESE SOURCES ALSO CLAIM TO KNOW THAT THE PARTY CENTRE HAS ISSUED GUIDE- LINES FOR DEALING WITH THE DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT WHICH EXCLUDE CON- FRONTATION AND SUPPRESSION BY ADMINISTRATIVE MEANS, THIS SEEMS INDEED TO BE THE CASE. NO REPRISALS HAVE BEEN TAKEN AGAINST THE CRGANISERS OF THE 29 JANUARY PUBLIC MEETING. AND A PEOPLE'S DAILY COMMENTATOR ARTICLE ON 27 JANUARY, WHILE TRYING TO DISCOURAGE COMPLAINANTS FROM COMING TO PEKING HAS STATED THAT THOSE WHO CO COME MUST BE TREATED COURTEOUSLY AND SERIOUSLY, THE THEME WAS TAKEN UP IN AN EDITORIAL ON 1 FEBRUARY WHICH TOLD OFFICIALS TO TAKE HEED MODESTLY OF POSTER OPINION, EARLIER, ON 1 JANUARY, THE THREE AUTHORS OF A 1974 POSTER WHICH BOLDLY FORESHADOWED TODAY'S DEMANDS FOR DEMOCRACY WERE GRANTED THEIR FREEDOM AFTER
YEARS IN DETENTION.
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6. DURING THE SPRING FESTIVAL, PUBLIC APPEARANCES WERE MADE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION BY WANG GUANGMET, THE WIDOW OF LIU SHAOQI (LIU SHAO-CH'I), PENG ZHEN, THE FORMER MAYOR OF PEKING AND POLITBURO MEMBER, AND LU DINGYI, THE FORMER PROPAGANDA CHIEF. THESE REHABILITATIONS HAVE BEEN LONG EXPECTED. THE ONE MYSTERY IS WHY THE CHINESE MISLED US BY ALL BUT STATING SOME TIME AGO THAT LIU WAS STILL ALIVE. IT IS NOW ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HIS NAME IS FORMALLY RESTORED.
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CONFIDENTIAL