National Flags Fly At Half Mast To Honour Li Peng

The Chinese national flag was being flown at the Beijing liaison office in Hong Kong and at Tiananmen Square on Monday in honour of late former premier Li Peng, a hardliner in the crackdown on protesters who occupied the Beijing landmark in 1989.

Li, who died of an unspecified illness at age 90 last week, was reviled by activists as the "Butcher of Beijing" for his role in the military's brutal suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations on June 4, 1989.

But he was eulogised in state media following his death as a "tested and loyal communist soldier" who "took decisive measures to stop the turmoil" 30 years ago.

At Tiananmen on Monday, soldiers at the daily flag-raising ceremony raised the red banner to half-mast as hundreds of tourists looked on under rainy skies in the capital.

"He was a man of strong will," said a man visiting from central Shaanxi province.

The official Xinhua news agency said Li's body would be cremated in Beijing on Monday. The flag will also fly at half-mast at the imposing Great Hall of the People next to the square, as well as other government buildings, airports and Chinese embassies.

Li held the premiership for 11 years until 1998.

Though the decision to send in the troops was a collective one under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, Li was widely held responsible for the bloody crackdown. (AFP)