TAIPEI - TAIWANESE President Ma Ying-jeou urged China on Thursday to acknowledge its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters 20 years ago at Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

'This painful chapter in history must be faced. Pretending it never happened is not an option,' Mr Ma said in a statement marking the anniversary of the bloody crackdown that followed weeks of demonstrations involving tens of thousands of Chinese students and other democracy proponents.

'History is a beacon that illuminates the way forward. We seek to learn the lessons of history, not so that hatred might grow, but to understand our options and choose the best among them,' he said.

As the Chinese leaders have in recent years shown more concern for human rights, Mr Ma said, they should also 'let the facts of past tragic episodes speak for themselves.'

Taiwan and China have dramatically improved their relations over the past year, with Ma reversing his predecessor's anti-China, pro-independence policy to seek closer economic ties. The two sides split amid civil war in 1949.

On Wednesday night, dozens of Taiwanese held a candlelight vigil in downtown Taipei to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.

'We want China to release jailed Tiananmen protesters, reverse its previous verdict on the 1989 demonstrations, and carry out political reform,' said Yao Li-ming of the Same Bloodline Supporting Mainland Democracy Association. -- AP

Read also:
Security tight in China
Anniversary overshadowed