From: [b--e--p] at [ux1.cso.uiuc.edu] (bui tho xuan)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.soc
Subject: Re: Big Brother wanna-be's
Date: 16 Feb 1994 18:00:40 GMT

[m g smith] at [hpl.hp.com] (Michael Smith) writes:
> 
>I read in US News & World Report recently that the mayor of a very large 
>city in China (can't remember the name) wants to ban bicycles and have
>everyone modernize by using cars and buses.  One of the reasons is because 
>there are so many bicycles that the streets are crowded.
>
>And I thought that our politicians were stupid.

A Chinese acquaintance who was a veteran of _that_ day in April
told me that the Chinese government dislikes bicycles because
it is very difficult to monitor the movements of dissidents.

He told me that the dissidents often meet and plan their actions on 
bicycle rides, because it is very difficult to follow them undetected.

I'm not sure if I believe him totally, but looking at some of the
pictures from that day, it seems like the tanks ran over quite
a few bicycles (bicyclists?).

Maybe their politicians aren't stupid at all.  

tho