Poster calls for trial of ‘Gang of Four’

Press, 5 December 1978, Page 9

Poster calls for trial of ‘Gang of Four’

NZPA-Reuter Peking Large crowds in Peking at the week-end read a poster calling for the public trial of China’s disgraced radicals led by the late chairman Mao Tse-tung’s widow, Chiang Ching. The demand to prosecute the “Gang of Four,” as the radical leaders are known, and their colleagues, was made as the country learned that two prominent victims of the Cultural Revolution had been rehabilitated, and that more disgraced officials were likely to return to public life. ; The poster, pasted on “de-; I mocracy wall” on the city’s, I main Chang An Boulevard; land in Tien An Men Square,! | was the latest in Peking’s! unprecedented public debate on democracy and freedom which has led to criticism of' the country’s past and present Communist rulers. These more controversial; aspects of the poster campaign, rather than outbursts of local grievances, appear less frequently after clear signals from the authorities to Peking’s citizens not to go too far. Informed sources said the call for the open trial of the “Gang of Four,” under house arrest since they were dismissed from office and accused of plotting to seize power in October, 1976, a month after Mao’s death, was not likely to be answered. Mao and the Cultural Revolution which he promoted have been attacked during the past two weeks of the campaign, but posters put

I up during the week-end sup-; ■lport, him and the present? > I leadership. 11 “If the people who put up! ,I posters criticising Mao will. ; I give their names, we willr M smash their dogs’ heads.; i! Mao is the red sun in our; I hearts,” a poster near the! I;central Peking Hotel said. ; Another new poster said I (the task of the present gen-| ■ eration was not to look for; ; Mao’s shortcomings, but to I ■ achieve the country’s mod-!, • ernisation targets. The writer praised the i country’s present leaders) and said there was no point I looking to the past to settle; old scores, other than with I the “Gang of Four.” Two of the earliest prominent victims of the radical: Cultural Revolution, the I senior Communist Party; officials, Po l-po and Yang Chang-kun, have reappeared ■ ; in public life after 12 years in disgrace. The New China News ; Agency said they attended a : memorial service for a Vice- : Minister of Public Security,!

Yang Chi-ching, who died of illness on November 24. | Po, who is 71, was an ; alternate member of the ? Communist Party’s politburo! and vice-chairman of the State Planning Commission. | Yang, who is 75, was a sec-; retary of the party’s central; committee. They were puged' in 1966. ' Among charges levelled at); Yang was that he eaves-! dropped on Mao’s secret; communications. The present senior Vice- , Premier (Mr Teng Hsiaoping), who backs the poster campaign, said last week that among subjects being 'discussed at a high-level 'meeting now taking place in Peking was the rehabilitation of some senior officials ousted during or before the ■cultural revolution. The “New York Times” has reported Mr Teng as I saying that if Taiwan were, ! united with mainland China, Peking would allow United I States economic interests to ; remain on the island and I take its differing system of Government into account. In a settlement uniting the I island with the mainland. I China would want to pre- ; serve the higher standard of ) living on Taiwan. Mr Teng; I was quoted as saying in an I interview. Mr Teng said China did' |not want to drop its three) ; conditions for normalising! relations with the United; States — withdrawal of United States military forces from Taiwan, cancellation of American treaties with the island, and the severance of United States diplomatic ties I with the nationalists,