In an interview with The Epoch Times, a veteran of the Beijing Armed Police Fire Brigade during the Tiananmen Massacre on June 4, 1989, expressed remorse and shared his journey to becoming a rights activist. Li Ming (alias) explained that at the time of the massacre, his squadron received orders to stand by and join the military action to “pacify the riots” any time. However, his fire brigade was only allowed to respond to civilian fires and prohibited from responding to military vehicles on fire. After the massacre, all training was suspended for three months, and they had to go through “thought/ideological education.” Li later became a rights activist in 2004 after his village encountered forced land expropriation and forced demolition. He has since embarked on a journey of defending his and fellow villagers’ rights and has become a locally recognized “sensitive figure.” Li has now taken up another rights protection task, fighting for treatment and welfare of veterans like him.