Tiananmin Square massacre c struggles resurge from the Science Academy. The title of the petition was "Greeting the United Nations Year of Lenience, Appealing for Lenience in Domestic Politics" . It appealed for a re-evaluation of June Fourth and the release of prisoners connected to June Fourth.
Another petition was by 52 scholars and dissidents, appealing for "drawing on the lesson of blood, promoting the process of democracy and the rule of law". It asked every citizen in China, but in particular the party and government authorities that have made wrong decisions, to rethink the tragedy of June Fourth with repent, reason and responsibility. Victims' families
It was also the first time in six years that 27 families of victims of June Fourth (the families included Professor Ding Zilin from Beijing University) jointly petitioned to the Standing Committee of the NPC saying that they "absolutely cannot accept that the government resorted to machine guns and tanks to harm so many people and still could hurriedly conclude on a world-stunning tragedy with the words "quenching a rebellion'' They requested the NPC Standing Committee to form a special commission to investigate into the June Fourth Incident, to conduct independent and just investigation, to disclose the number and names of deceased, and to answer to each individual family. They called on people of the whole country to be concerned for the destiny of the families of the June Fourth victims.
This wave of petitions is an indication of the revitalizing of people's struggles in China. The background to this is an intensification of power struggles at the top. With Chen Yun dead, Jiang Zemin has been placing his men from Shanghai in important positions in Beijing. Beijing's mayor Chen Xitong was removed from power on the accusation of corruption. Yuan Mu also had his directorship of State Council Research Office removed. (Chen Xitong and Yuan Mu were the two hardliners for the June Fourth crackdown, and had been supporters of Li Peng.) On the other hand, Li Peng has just published a bibliography of his own life, entitled "Li Peng — Son of Yen River", which was an attempt to eulogize his past.
The economic situation has also aggravated, which is anóther cause for further discords in the leadership. In 1994, prices of grain, cotton and fuel soared by 21.7% (official figures). The Beijing Steelworks, a key state-owned factory, was denounced for "serious flaws and deficits" • Whether the growing regionalism in the south should be contained is another controversy. With the political and economic situation becoming more explosive, it is no surprise that the people's struggles are ascending. *