According to a report on January 28 by Radio Free Asia, former Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang’s memorial service is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Babaoshan National Cemetery. Sources said that approximately 2000 people are expected to be present at the ceremony. However, dissidents were all rejected from attending the memorial and among them are Zhao Ziyang’s political secretary, Bao Tong, and Wang Dan’s mother, Wang Lingyun. Wang Dan, the former leader of the Beijing student democracy movement, is currently living in exile in the US.

Wang Dan told Radio Free Friday that his mother went to Beijing’s Jintai Hotel on Friday morning to get a permit for attending Zhao’s memorial service at the Babaoshan National Cemetery, but she was rejected on the ground that her name was not in the list.
Staff at the scene said that the participant list was given by supervisors.

Wang Dan (Matt Campbell/AFP/Getty Images)

Wang Dan thinks that the fact that the authorities rejected some civilian from paying tribute to Zhao Ziyang totally shows that they don’t have confidence in their regime.

In addition, according to a fax issued by the China Human Rights and Democracy Movements Information Center in Hong Kong, someone who is close to the former Deputy State Primer, Tian Jiyun indicated that Mr. Tian will attend Zhao’s memorial service.