Chinese fail to hide the news of Tiananmen suicide bid

published 16 November 2011

THE CHINESE government has today confirmed what is thought to be the first case of self-immolation in Beijing's symbolic Tiananmen Square since 2001, after attempts to cover up the incident were foiled by an onlooker who leaked photos to The Daily Telegraph. The 42-year-old man, who survived the ordeal, is known only as Wang (his surname). He set himself on fire on 21 October near the bridge that leads into Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall, the much-photographed building from which the large picture of the former Chinese leader hangs. Tourist Alan Brown from Somerset told the Telegraph that it happened mere metres from him. "He said something quickly and a policeman nearby was suddenly agitated, but this chap whipped out his lighter and set himself on fire. The policeman initially leapt back and then grabbed a fire extinguisher from his motorbike and put the man out." "Without being melodramatic," Brown continued, "he looked straight at me and set himself on fire." The photo shows clearly that the square was crowded at the time. But according to the Telegraph's Peter Foster, the incident has not been mentioned anywhere in the Chinese media, not even on China's equivalent of Twitter, Weibo. According to witnesses, all traces of the self-immolation had disappeared within ten minutes. The Beijing Public Security Bureau today confirmed that Wang has "pulled through", and that he took the "extreme action because of discontent over the outcome of a civil litigation in a local court". No more details were provided.

Chinese authorities have been sensitive to any protests in Tiananmen Square since the international revulsion at the massacre of hundreds of demonstrators in June 1989.

Although the last known case of self-immolation in the square was in 2001, the Telegraph reports that the act is relatively common in other parts of the country. At least one or two incidents are reported a year, most involving "victims of unjust court rulings, land grabs, property disputes with local government or extreme examples of corruption".