Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Chinese brace for unrest after demotion of officials Date: Thu, 26 Nov 92 15:00:28 EST Message-ID: Lines: 80 \SE A;WORLD \HD Chinese brace for unrest after demotion of officials \BY David Alan Coia \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Army divisions were moved to Beijing to head off any unrest after the demotion of President Yang Shangkun and his brother from top positions on the Central Military Commission, according to a Hong Kong newspaper. Reports say the divisions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) were called in from the Shenyang and Jinan military regions. Troops from Shenyang were called to Beijing during the crackdown on students camped out in Tiananmen Square in June 1989. The Hong Kong Standard reported on Nov. 17 that the troops were shifted "to prepare for any unexpected events in the Beijing military region" connected with the recent demotion of Mr. Yang, 85, and his brother, Gen. Yang Baibing, 72, from positions on the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party. If the story, circulated by the U.S. government's Foreign Broadcast Information Service, is true, the movement of troops into the Beijing area may well indicate that a power struggle of significant proportions is under way. The brothers' influence in the Chinese military and Communist Party was measured in part by the fact they replaced nearly 200 generals with their own supporters after coming to power, according to the Standard. "The recent troop movement coincides with a reshuffle in the military across the country to remove supporters of the Yang brothers from senior military positions," the Standard said. The elder Mr. Yang was vice chairman of the military commission and a member of the Politburo before resigning from both positions under pressure during the 14th Party Congress in October. He retained his post as president. The younger Mr. Yang, who was general secretary of the commission, was selected at the congress to replace his brother on the Communist Party Politburo. That move, according to a Nov. 19 report by Jonathan Mirsky of the London Observer, "was to prevent a shock" during the reshuffle. The general retained his commission, but his new Politburo role was reported to be civilian rather than military. Gen. Yang still holds the top political position with the PLA as director of the General Political Department. The Yangs' demotions came as a surprise to many analysts. Their downfall, according to Mr. Mirsky of the Observer, stems from a secret meeting organized by Yang Baibing in early September at which "he and other senior officers were to study and arrange things for the period after the death" of senior Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. Their ouster from the commission may have been initiated by Mr. Deng after he learned of the meeting, according to several reports. The Standard said Mr. Deng issued instructions on Oct. 10 to strip Gen. Yang of all his military positions. Although it has done an excellent job of masking cracks in its unity over the years, China remains very much a loose confederation of regional powers. It is not common for military units - whether company-level militia or divisional regulars - to openly resist orders from their superiors, but it does happen from time to time. Hence, military units are sometimes held in check by units from other areas. The Shenyang military region lies to the northeast of the Beijing region. The Jinan military region is situated on the Beijing region's southeastern flank. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM