(4 Jun 2009)
1. Wide of US capitol with stage and people
2. Mid of Wang Dan at microphone
3. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Wang Dan, Exiled Chinese dissident and former student leader:
"The policy of economic development at any cost means that anything can be sacrificed, including people's lives. I think, if there's any true meaning of today and the remembrance of what happened in 1989 - the whole world must be aware of this danger.That's the only way we can prevent another Tiananmen massacre."
4. Mid view of Amnesty International sign
5. Close view of Fang Zheng, Tiananmen Square survivor:
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chai Ling, Exiled Chinese dissident and former student leader:
"China's current leadership need not fear the well-being of themselves or their families if they embark on reform. The Tiananmen students beliefs are grounded in non-violence and rule of law. The reconciliation process used in South Africa and Taiwan are models that could easily be followed."
7. Mid of crowd
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker, US House of Representatives:
"What they wanted was dialogue with their government on openness and freedom, and freedom of speech and religion and an ending to corruption in China. They wanted that dialogue, they wanted that conversation. What they got was crushed."
9. Wide of Pelosi describing poster showing student in front of tanks during Tiananmen Square crackdown
10. Cutaway of crowd
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Yang Jianli, Exiled Chinese dissident:
"We are here today to remember. But we are also here to call for truth. It is truth that tyrannies fear most. It is truth that builds stable societies and creates international stability."
12. Wide view of US Capitol
13. Wide of Wang Dan at news conference at National Press Club
14. Woman stands up as introduced
15. Mid view of Wang Dan
STORYLINE:
Chinese dissidents and US lawmakers rallied in front of the US Capitol building to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on Thursday, calling on the US government to provide more support for pro-democracy efforts in China.
Washington has seen daily activities this week related to June 4, 1989, when China sent tanks and troops to crush demonstrations and shoot protesters.
There have been congressional hearings, appearances by activists, photo exhibits and candlelight vigils.
On Thursday members of the overseas Chinese Democratic Party, Tibetan monks, Uighur nationalists, Falun Gong practitioners and Amnesty International joined the gathering at the Capitol.
At least twenty-five leaders and participants of the 1989 demonstration in Tiananmen joined together to issue a statement calling for more openness and an accounting regarding the events on June 4, 1989.
Former student leaders, including Wang Dan and Chai Ling, addressed the group calling on the Beijing government not to fear openness, but to recognise that democratic reforms will help assure China's continued economic development.
Wang Dan warned that if Beijing continued to engage in a policy of economic development at any cost, there may be more Tiananmen-like incidents in China.
Chai Ling, the so-called "general commander" of the Tiananmen demonstrations, made a rare public appearance to talk about the strikes.
She called on the Chinese Communist government to give a full accounting of why troops and tanks were ordered into the square to quash the demonstrations.
Chai also urged the government to create an impartial panel to reconcile the various accounts of what happened on June 4th and 5th.
Yang Jianli, who was at Tiananmen, has since that time attempted to return to China.
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