'Violence can't be compared to Tiananmen crackdown'

A Chinese government spokesman has rejected comparisons between the fatal police shooting of villagers last week and the 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, saying no conclusion has been reached about the most recent violence.

The government says three people were killed last week when police opened fire on people protesting land seizures in the southern village of Dongzhou.

Villagers put the death toll at up to 20.

If the higher death toll were confirmed, it would be the deadliest use of force by Chinese authorities on the public since 1989.

“I disagree with attempts to compare this event with the 1989 incident,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

“Conclusions have been reached on the 1989 incident already. No conclusion yet has been drawn on this event,” Qin said.

The Chinese government says the 1989 protests were an anti-government riot that had to be crushed by force.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were killed when the military attacked in central Beijing.