The Chinese government and state media on Friday ignored the publication of a controversial new book that urges democratic reform and exposes divisions in the ruling Communist Party.

IBNA: According to Beijing, no state media or official websites mentioned the English-language book, Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang, but articles about it were accessible on English-language news websites.

Chinese-language audio files and translations of English news stories were also accessible on the websites of The New York Times and Washington Post.

Zhao's secretly tape-recorded memoirs were sent out of China for publication by his former aide, Bao Tong, Bao told the German Press Agency dpa on Thursday.

Publication of the sensitive book, in which Zhao supports open, multi-party democracy and media freedom, came weeks before the 20th anniversary of a military crackdown on a democracy movement.

The memoirs, which are to also be published in a Chinese version this month, include criticisms of retired leaders Li Peng and Jiang Zemin and call for China's one-party state to move toward a parliamentary democracy.

Zhao recorded the memoirs during 16 years of house arrest from 1989 until his death in 2005.

He was purged from his post of party general secretary after opposing the use of force to stop the 1989 democracy protests.

Bao said the tapes recorded by Zhao, which form the basis of the book scheduled for official release by Simon and Schuster next week, were given to him by three former government ministers.

The 1989 protests ended when troops with tanks and live ammunition moved through Beijing overnight on June 3-4, 1989, reportedly killing hundreds of unarmed civilians who allegedly blocked their route.

Demonstrators had urged the government to end corruption and allow democracy and other political and social rights.

Party leaders continue to reject calls for an investigation into the 1989 crackdown. They have also prevented activists from holding public events to mark anniversaries of Zhao's death.

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