<p>China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police officers on Thursday, determined to prevent any commemoration of the 20th anniversary of a military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left hundreds dead.<br /><br />Visitors to the sprawling plaza in central Beijing were stopped at checkpoints and searched, and foreign television crews firmly turned away. Uniformed and plainclothes officers outnumbered tourists.<br /><br />There was no flicker of protest. Other than the intense police presence, the day passed like any other in the capital.<br /><br />China’s government has tried hard over the years to obliterate the memory of the huge student-led protests that shook the Communist Party and captivated the world for weeks.<br /><br />An official reacted angrily on Thursday to a call by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a public accounting of the incident. “The US action makes groundless accusations. We express strong dissatisfaction,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.<br /></p>
<p>China blanketed Tiananmen Square with police officers on Thursday, determined to prevent any commemoration of the 20th anniversary of a military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that left hundreds dead.<br /><br />Visitors to the sprawling plaza in central Beijing were stopped at checkpoints and searched, and foreign television crews firmly turned away. Uniformed and plainclothes officers outnumbered tourists.<br /><br />There was no flicker of protest. Other than the intense police presence, the day passed like any other in the capital.<br /><br />China’s government has tried hard over the years to obliterate the memory of the huge student-led protests that shook the Communist Party and captivated the world for weeks.<br /><br />An official reacted angrily on Thursday to a call by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a public accounting of the incident. “The US action makes groundless accusations. We express strong dissatisfaction,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.<br /></p>