Police in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing have detained a retiree for his politically undesirable public talks, as the regime prepares to hold a massive celebration of China’s victory over Japan in the second world war.
Han Liang, the son of a Nationalist Chinese officer that fought the Japanese, was promoting a narrative of the war that more closely corresponds with the established history—but which is effectively banned by the Party.
The 65-year-old disappeared on Aug. 26, and public security officers later told human rights advocates that Han was serving a 15-day detention for “picking quarrels and provoking disputes,” according to Radio Free Asia.
Han’s arrest comes just days before the upcoming military parade in Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China’s victory against Japanese invaders in 1945. Regime authorities have taken great pains to crack down on unwanted blemishes such as smog, traffic, and independent online commentators in the run-up to the 12,000-man event, to be held on Sept 3.
It’s not Han Liang’s first altercation with public security. He has been relating tales from the war on the streets of Chongqing for years. In 2013, Han was wounded by police when he tried to publicly commemorate the 68th anniversary of the war.
Photos published on Boxun, a Chinese-language website based in North Carolina, show the retiree holding up placards depicting war heroes as well as Nationalist flags and leaders.
The history Han Liang expounds in his talks is a politically sensitive topic for the Communist Party, which rendered dubious contribution to the overall Chinese war effort. He is the son of a military officer serving with the Nationalist Chinese forces, which shouldered most of the fighting against the Japanese army.
