China dismisses US Tiananmen call

Chinese authorities have defended their move to use force in 1989

China has dismissed US calls to give a full account of the people who were killed, detained or went missing during pro-democracy protests 16 years ago.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said the US should pay more attention to its own human rights violations.

A spokesman accused Washington of interfering in another country's internal affairs.

Saturday marked the 16th anniversary of the Tiananmen protests, in which hundreds are believed to have died.

On Saturday, the anniversary of the bloody crackdown, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack issued a statement calling on Beijing to reassess its actions.

"We call on the Chinese government to fully account for the thousands killed, detained, or missing, and to release those unjustly imprisoned," Mr McCormack said.

Strong feelings

Tens of thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong held a vigil on Saturday.

1989 TIANANMEN EVENTS 15 April: Reformist leader Hu Yaobang dies 22 April: Hu's memorial service. Thousands call for faster reforms 13 May: Students begin hunger strike as power struggle grips Communist Party 15 May: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev visits China 19 May: Zhao makes tearful appeal to students in Tiananmen Square to leave 20 May: Martial law declared in Beijing 3-4 June: Security forces clear the square, killing hundreds

Protesters sang songs and listened to speeches in China's only commemoration of events in the capital, Beijing.

Vigil organisers in Hong Kong say there is still a strong feeling about what happened in 1989.

They want the current Chinese leadership to reassess the way their predecessors dealt with the protests.

But analysts say the government is unlikely to do so, for fear of the possible reaction.

Beijing has consistently defended its decision to use force against the student demonstration.

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Hong Kong says extra police ensured there were no protests in Tiananmen Square itself.