Fate Of Anonymous 'Tank Man' Still A Mystery

'It Crushed Our Hope For Democracy'

Updated: 6:25am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Lee Cheuk Yan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party and the founder of the June 4th Museum.

In 1989 he travelled to Beijing to support the uprising and provide the protesters with money.

He told Sky News: "I was in the Beijing Hotel looking down in the Tiananmen Square, seeing the tricycles bringing bodies to the hospital.

"I remember them switching off the light in Tiananmen Square, and I would say that was the darkest hour of my life. At that time it crushes all our hope for democracy.

"Then I was arrested, detained for three days, money confiscated, and only allowed to come back [to Hong Kong] after three days of detention back in 1989.

"In a way, that was the turning point of my life, I promised myself I will dedicate my life to the democratisation of China, to continue our struggle in Hong Kong for democracy.

"It was a moment of despair. We had a hope ... Over the May, the spring time, you can (feel) democracy, and then suddenly the guns and the tanks come in.

"It really crushes our hope and into a moment of despair. And that was the really saddest moment of my life."

"Already a quarter of a century [has passed]. A new generation of young people have grown up, but then when you look at China itself, they try to erase all the memory of June 4th and ban any discussion of June 4th.

"So in that environment, it's a sort of brainwashing.

"This museum is to fill the void ... We hope by having this museum and preserving the truth, it is a struggle of remembering against forgetting.

"And also we hope that the truth [will] struggle against lie. Therefore, we felt it's very important.

"Twenty-five years after the massacre, we have a museum to commemorate those who sacrificed for democracy and at the same time to educate the public, especially the younger generation and the mainlanders, [to explain] exactly what happened and challenge the Communist Party, to reveal the truth."

Mr Lee dismisses the suggestion that the crackdown stabilised China, prevented civil war and allowed the country to become a global economic giant.

"I'm really very angry with that because it assumes that economic growth and democracy cannot go hand in hand, which is absurd ... It is totally compatible and I can imagine that if there [was] democracy 25 years ago, there would still be economic growth, there would be better distribution of wealth, and there can be freedom, people would be happier.

"One important thing is, now in China, it's all a culture of lies.

"People make money by lying, and get corrupted, and get a lot of money buy doing all sorts of immoral acts.

"If there is democracy, at least in culture, I believe, would not be a culture of lies.

"But there would be freedom, checks and balances, and a democratic China.

"I think corruption can only be totally erased if there is democracy."

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Body Found In Search For Brit Gareth Huntley

Police on Malaysia's Tioman Island have confirmed that a body has been found in the search for British backpacker Gareth Huntley, who went missing after going on a jungle trek.

Local media reports say the body was found less than 100m from the conservation camp where he was working as a volunteer. 

According to Malaysian newspaper The Star, search personnel stumbled across the corpse in a pond close to a kayak storage unit at around 12pm local time.

The 34-year-old disappeared last week after attempting to find a waterfall nearly four miles away from the camp in the jungles of the paradise island.

Mr Huntley's mother has been notified of the discovery

Deputy Superintendent Johari Yahaya told the newspaper he could not confirm whether the body was that of the missing Briton.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Malaysian police have confirmed that a body has been found on Tioman island in Malaysia.

"Foreign Office consular staff on the ground are continuing to work closely with the Malaysian authorities and are investigating with them as a matter of urgency.

"We continue to provide support to the family of Gareth Huntley at this very difficult time."

The area where the body was found. Pic: Thestar.com.my

Mr Huntley's mother, Janet Southwell, and his girlfriend, Kit Natariga, are on the island off Malaysia's east coast to assist the search effort.

Dozens of rescue personnel have been backed by paramilitary commandos, multiple helicopters, speedboats and sniffer dogs in the latter days of the search following initial criticism of the Malaysian authorities' response.

Mr Huntley's girlfriend (pictured) and his mother are both on the island

Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly spoke to Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak after receiving an open letter from Mrs Southwell in which she urged him to seek more resources for the search.

The letter said: "Make one phone call to the Malaysian leader to insist that they deploy real help to find Gareth before time runs out".

The backpacker had been volunteering in a turtle sanctuary on the island

The 34-year-old from Hackney, east London, set off on May 27 telling friends at the Juara Turtle Project where he was volunteering that he would be back by 2pm but failed to return.

Mr Huntley, who was originally from West Yorkshire, was on a sabbatical from his job in the City.

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Rolling Stones To Play Controversial Israel Gig

Pro-Palestinians have urged the Rolling Stones to cancel their first ever concert in Israel on Wednesday night over alleged rights abuses.

The rock band only resumed their world tour last week after cancelling shows following the suicide of Mick Jagger's partner L'Wren Scott.

The Stones arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday in their private jet with around 70 staff.

Guitarist Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts travelled to Jerusalem's Old City the following day.

Israeli organisers and media have branded the concert, part of the band's European tour, a "historic visit".

Promoter Shuki Weiss, once quoted as saying he would retire after bringing the Stones to Israel, guaranteed the band $6.7m (£4m) for the one-night gig at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park, according to a newspaper report.

The Stones performed in the Swiss city of Zurich earlier this week

But the band has been under pressure from pro-Palestinian activists, including fellow rock stars, to cancel the gig as part of a boycott of Israel over alleged human rights abuses.

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) committee urged the Stones to abandon the concert, noting they had been vocal opponents of racial segregation in South Africa, comparing apartheid to Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.

"Palestinian organisations urge the Rolling Stones to refrain from playing in apartheid Israel and not to condone Israel's violations of international law and human rights against the Palestinian people," BDS said when the concert was announced in March.

Pink Floyd founders Roger Waters and Nick Mason also joined calls for a boycott.

A growing number of governments and international businesses have said they will not trade with Israeli firms with ties to Jewish settlements, highlighting the creeping success of the Palestinian-led boycott campaign.

A Palestinian unity government, backed by the Islamist group Hamas, was sworn in on Monday.

Israel has condemned the US and European Union for backing the technocratic government.

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Taliban Releases Video Of Hostage Handover

The Taliban have released a video showing American hostage Sgt Bowe Bergdahl being handed over to US forces in Afghanistan.

Sgt Bergdahl, clean shaven and dressed in white Afghan clothing with a shaved head, is seen waiting in a white pickup truck close to the Afghan border with Pakistan as Taliban militants outside lean in to talk to him.

He is blinking frequently in the bright light as he looks at and listens to his captors. He appears to struggle to speak English.

The 17 minutes of footage shows armed gunmen dotting the hills around the valley, as US Black Hawk helicopters overhead draw closer to the meeting point.

The Taliban reporter speaking over the clip explains: "We told them there are 18 armed fighters and the Americans said that's all right."

The Taliban's message to the Americans and Sgt Bergdahl

As one of the helicopters lands, throwing up a cloud of dust, Sgt Bergdahl is led to his rescuers by two men, one leading him by the hand, and another waving a white cloth tied to a wooden stick.

Most of the Taliban have their faces covered with scarves, while Sgt Bergdahl wears his over his shoulders.

After a brief exchange of handshakes between insurgents and US forces, Bergdahl moves unsteadily towards the helicopter.

Before boarding the helicopter the freed man is patted down to check he is not carrying any weapons.

The aircraft takes off and the message in English flashes up: "Don' come back to afghanistan (sic)."

Heaviliy armed Taliban fighters dotted the hillside around the exchange

The Taliban video, entitled Ceremony Of The American Soldier Exchange, is laced with religious music and chants of "Allahu Akbar", or "God is greatest".

At one point the voiceover says: "I congratulate all the mujahiedeen for this victory."

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said: "The meaning of the pictures is that we see visual evidence that the Taliban are negotiating with the Americans on almost an equal basis.

"It is a propaganda coup for the Taliban."

US defence officials have said dozens of US special forces troops backed up by helicopters were sent for the handover.

Five years after he was captured by Afghan militants, Sgt Bergdahl was freed at the weekend in exchange for five militants held at Guantanamo Bay.

Sgt Bergdahl awaits the handover in a Taliban vehicle

There is a suggestion Sgt Bergdahl could face disciplinary action over claims from members of his unit that he was captured in 2009 after abandoning his post.

However, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that critics should not rush to judgement.

"It's not in the interests of anyone and certainly, I think, a bit unfair to Sergeant Bergdahl's family and to him to presume anything," he told reporters at a Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

"We don't do that in the United States. We rely on facts."

Sgt Bergdahl's release has lead to sharp criticism of the Obama administration, with some US politicians fearing it poses a threat to Americans abroad.

He was the only US soldier held by the Taliban after being captured in Afghanistan.

The 28-year-old is now in a military hospital in Germany, undergoing physical and mental assessments.

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Facebook 'Close To Government Snooping Block'

Facebook has said it is close to completing end-to-end encryption across its network to put an end to government snooping.

The social network's head of security infrastructure, Gregg Stefancik, said his team "wear tin foil hats", a term used to describe government-fearing conspiracy theorists.

He told journalists during a visit to Australia that Facebook was working on making all of its communications secure but admitted: "We're not completely there yet."

"We've prioritised encrypting the traffic that is most sensitive at Facebook, and we're working aggressively to get to the point where we can tell you we'll have it all encrypted between datacentres," he added.

Mr Stefancik said revelations by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden "validated a lot of the things we knew we needed to protect against".

"Encrypting data and exchanges over our private leased lines is something that's on our roadmap and something we were working on pre-Snowden," he said.

"We like encryption because it's mathematically strong. We understand its properties (and) it's easier to control but, that said, it's really hard to deploy.

"It's not like we wake up one morning and flip a switch. It has performance implications (and) there are still compatibility issues between devices."

The Australian government has proposed Facebook and other social networks should be legally required to assist with decrypting encrypted files.

But Mr Stefancik said: "Handing over encryption keys is something we'd fight."

He also reassured users that Facebook's app is not listening into or storing conversations.

Concerns were raised after a new opt-in feature was rolled out, allowing Android and iOS users to identify TV and music instantly.

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President Putin's Ambition May Yet Impale Him

When Russia seized the Crimea, it seemed that Vladimir Putin was the great impaler of Western hubris, exposing a decadent reluctance to back angry splutterings with anything more than pen strokes from accountants imposing limited economic sanctions.

Now, as the leaders of the seven biggest economies gather in Brussels to discuss a new era of strategic isolation of Russia, it looks as though Vlad may be impaled on his own ambition.

Mr Putin's overarching desire over the past 10 years has been to establish a Eurasian economic and political zone dominated by the Kremlin, extending from the far "Stans" of the former Soviet empire to the Baltic.

His rage at Ukraine's flirtation with the EU and the revolution in Kiev provoked both the annexation of the Crimea and the subsequent, more bloody, destabilisation of eastern Ukraine by the Kremlin's proxies and agents.

The West's response has been criticised for being slow and flaccid.

Europe has been disorganised, with some 61 entities and individuals now on an EU sanctions list.

President Obama raises his glass at a toast during dinner on Tuesday night

But a wider industry-specific series of trade embargoes that could emasculate Russia's economy remains a mere threat as Europe, with some $350bn (£209bn) worth of trade with Russia, has much to lose.

But there is now an audible snarl to be heard from behind the grumblings of the West.

This week, President Obama announced an extra $1bn (£598bn) in military spending for Europe with the money to be spent not only inside Nato but also on Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

These three already face Kremlin-backed insurgencies that have sliced off territory and undermined weak economies.

It has been argued - probably rightly - that all three destabilisation campaigns were the direct consequence of these formerly Kremlin-controlled countries, cosying up to Moscow's great rivals in Europe and the US.

The lesson is that the Russian bear will bite if it is baited at the threshold of its lair.

This is not, it would appear, a lesson that the West is prepared to learn from Mr Putin.

Mr Putin on Monday attending a ceremony celebrating big families

Mr Obama's military initiative, proposed on the eve of the G7 summit, was timed to put some steel behind discussions on how to get Moscow to stop interfering in Ukraine.

Petro Poroshenko, the new Ukrainian president, will be a much honoured observer and guest of the G7.

He'll return to his inauguration on Saturday and has pledged to fast-track the very treaty of association with the EU that so enraged Mr Putin last year. Close cooperation between Ukraine and Nato is to be stepped up.

G7 members will discuss energy strategy. The focus will be on "greening" the planet, and weaning the West off Russia's petrochemicals.

Moscow sells 80% of its oil and gas to Europe. It needs those exports to survive, Europe can and will start diversifying its source of power.

That these issues are coming to a head on the anniversaries of the D-Day landings is coincidental, but convenient. The message is clear - the West has seen the threat and is beginning to face it.

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Obama Impressed By Poroshenko's Vision

Barack Obama has met Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko and told him that the US is committed to supporting the country in the long term.

Their meeting in Poland came as pro-Russia separatists continue to battle Ukrainian troops in the country's east.

The US president announced that his administration would give Ukraine $5m (£3m) worth of body armour, night-vision goggles and communication equipment.

The White House says Mr Obama has approved more than $23m (£13.7m) in security assistance to Ukraine since early March, when the situation there began to deteriorate.

Mr Obama told reporters in Warsaw: "The United States is absolutely committed to standing behind the Ukrainian people not just in the coming days, weeks, but in the coming years."

He said Mr Poroshenko's election signalled Ukrainians had rejected violence and corruption in favour of democracy.

"I have been deeply impressed by his vision, partly because of his experience as a businessman," Mr Obama said.

At the same time, the president warned it was critical that other nations now support Mr Poroshenko and his new government, including by training its military and police.

He urged the international community to keep up the pressure on Moscow not to support pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine.

Thanking the Americans for offering support, Mr Poroshenko said the next phase will be crucial to building a peace process out of the country's political crisis.

Mr Poroshenko, a confectionery tycoon, is set to take office on Saturday.

Discarded weapons at a captured National Guard post in Luhansk

Even as he met with the US president in a hotel reports were emerging of pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine seizing two government bases in battles around Luhansk.

They reportedly seized quantities of ammunition and explosives from a border guards' post and took another installation after National Guard forces ran out of ammunition.

Officials said in a statement that six militants were killed and three Ukrainian servicemen were injured in 10 hours of fighting overnight at the National Guard base.

In Kiev, interim President Oleksandr Turchynov, who will hand over to Poroshenko on Saturday, has asked the country's Security and Defence Council to consider imposing martial law in parts of eastern Ukraine in a bid to stabilize the situation.

Ukraine's prime minister, defence and interior ministers as well as heads of other security and intelligence agencies are all members of the council.

Mr Turchynov was reported to have left for a visit to eastern Ukraine.

Mr Obama will fly to Brussels later to meet leaders of the biggest industrialised nations for a Group of Seven summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been due to host them in the Olympic city of Sochi, was excluded following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

He is due to hold separate meetings with Germany's Angela Merkel, Britain's David Cameron and France's Francois Hollande on the sidelines of events in France this week commemorating the 70th anniversary of the World War Two D-Day landings.

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Van Gogh's Ear 'Regrown' Using Relative's Cells

A copy of Vincent van Gogh's ear grown using some of the Dutch artist's genetic material has gone on display at a German museum.

The ear, which is on display at the Centre for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, is made of living cells grown from samples provided by the great-great-grandson of the artist's brother, Theo.

Lieuwe van Gogh shares about one-sixteenth of the same genes and "loved the project straight away", according to the museum.

Van Gogh, the iconic 19th-century painter, is said to have cut off his ear during a psychotic episode in 1888.

A 3D printer was used to shape the cells, which were grown at a hospital in the US city of Boston, to resemble the artist's missing left ear.

Artist Diemut Strebe said she wanted to combine art and science, adding: "I use science basically like a type of brush, like Vincent used paint."

The ear is due to be displayed in New York next year.

The current exhibition, at which visitors can speak into the ear through a microphone, lasts until July 6.

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Hostage Video Rare Glimpse Into Mind Of Enemy

The Taliban video is a rare glimpse into a ritual as old as warfare, writes Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall.

The Taliban wave white flags

We see several fighters armed with rifles and at least one grenade launcher. They carry white flags. This symbol of a truce is also the Taliban flag. The numbers and types of weapons for both sides will probably have been agreed by both sides in advance.

A Taliban fighter at the scene

Sergeant Bergdahl is in the back seat of one of the vehicles. He looks bewildered but in good physical health.

On the video a voice speaks on what sounds like a satellite phone. It is one of the Taliban men speaking to a radio station about the release. He says: "We did not take our fighters with us for any offensive purposes but only to secure us."

Sgt Bergdahl awaiting his release in the back of a vehicle

The Taliban then chant, "long live the Afghan Mujahideen" and praise their leader, Mullah Omar.

A plane appears, probably for reconnaissance. If so, details of how many Taliban fighters are present, and where they are, will have been communicated back to the commander of the operation on the US side. 

One of the Black Hawks in the air

As two Black Hawk helicopters come into sight, Bergdahl is taken from the vehicle and readied for the transfer.

One of the helicopters lands as the other flies "top cover". In the unlikely event of a double cross this would be the moment the Americans were most vulnerable. They are not seen, but it is likely the Americans would also have had fighter jets nearby and a drone at high altitude.

Sgt Bergdahl appears in good health

Three men in civilian clothes emerge from the Black Hawk. They are not openly armed. They walk a few yards to meet two Taliban men, one each side of Bergdahl. In the background you see several US military men inside the helicopter.

The two sides shake hands, and one of the Americans puts his hand to his chest in an approximation of the Islamic gesture of respect. It's his left hand, traditionally the right hand is used, but the meaning is clear.

The hostage is readied for his release to the Americans

The commentary had said the Talibs were expecting a formal meeting: "I was hoping we would spend hours discussing things but to my surprise they were in a hurry to leave."

As they turn to leave you can see one American surreptitiously puts his hand on Bergdahl's back as if checking to feel for anything suspicious. 

The Taliban approach the Black Hawk with Sgt Bergdahl

They retreat to the helicopter and one of the Americans walks backwards in case of a last-minute problem.

As they reach the aircraft another frisks Bergdahl. It's now clear he is checking in case the Talibs have fitted him with a suicide belt.

Sgt Bergdahl is frisked by the Americans

There's a thumbs up from one of the occupants to the pilot, and as the Black Hawk lifts off in a cloud of dust, there's another thumbs up which may be for the Taliban fighters.

The helicopter heads away from the camera towards the mountains and then comes the Taliban's final twist in what has been for them a propaganda coup designed to show that they have parity with the superpower and can dictate terms.

A Black Hawk lifts off with Sgt Bergdahl on board

A graphic appears on the screen, the spelling is faulty, but the message is clear and aimed not at Bergdahl, but at the United States. It says: "Don' come back to afghanistan."

The Taliban's message to the United States

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Tiananmen: China Lockdown For 25th Anniversary

'It Crushed Our Hope For Democracy'

Updated: 6:25am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Lee Cheuk Yan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party and the founder of the June 4th Museum.

In 1989 he travelled to Beijing to support the uprising and provide the protesters with money.

He told Sky News: "I was in the Beijing Hotel looking down in the Tiananmen Square, seeing the tricycles bringing bodies to the hospital.

"I remember them switching off the light in Tiananmen Square, and I would say that was the darkest hour of my life. At that time it crushes all our hope for democracy.

"Then I was arrested, detained for three days, money confiscated, and only allowed to come back [to Hong Kong] after three days of detention back in 1989.

"In a way, that was the turning point of my life, I promised myself I will dedicate my life to the democratisation of China, to continue our struggle in Hong Kong for democracy.

"It was a moment of despair. We had a hope ... Over the May, the spring time, you can (feel) democracy, and then suddenly the guns and the tanks come in.

"It really crushes our hope and into a moment of despair. And that was the really saddest moment of my life."

"Already a quarter of a century [has passed]. A new generation of young people have grown up, but then when you look at China itself, they try to erase all the memory of June 4th and ban any discussion of June 4th.

"So in that environment, it's a sort of brainwashing.

"This museum is to fill the void ... We hope by having this museum and preserving the truth, it is a struggle of remembering against forgetting.

"And also we hope that the truth [will] struggle against lie. Therefore, we felt it's very important.

"Twenty-five years after the massacre, we have a museum to commemorate those who sacrificed for democracy and at the same time to educate the public, especially the younger generation and the mainlanders, [to explain] exactly what happened and challenge the Communist Party, to reveal the truth."

Mr Lee dismisses the suggestion that the crackdown stabilised China, prevented civil war and allowed the country to become a global economic giant.

"I'm really very angry with that because it assumes that economic growth and democracy cannot go hand in hand, which is absurd ... It is totally compatible and I can imagine that if there [was] democracy 25 years ago, there would still be economic growth, there would be better distribution of wealth, and there can be freedom, people would be happier.

"One important thing is, now in China, it's all a culture of lies.

"People make money by lying, and get corrupted, and get a lot of money buy doing all sorts of immoral acts.

"If there is democracy, at least in culture, I believe, would not be a culture of lies.

"But there would be freedom, checks and balances, and a democratic China.

"I think corruption can only be totally erased if there is democracy."

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