TAIPEI - Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou was accused Thursday of dishonouring the families of people killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown by saying Beijing is willing to address human rights issues.

On the 20th anniversary of the crackdown, in which hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people were killed when the Chinese army opened fire on peaceful demonstrators, Ma praised China for promising to improve human rights.

He said the release earlier this year of a Human Rights Action Plan by China's cabinet was a 'clear signal that the mainland authorities are now willing to directly address the issue of human rights,' Ma said.

'This shows a robust openness and confidence on their part, the likes of which we have not seen from them in the past,' he said in a statement.

China's cabinet published the document earlier this year pledging improvements to civil liberties in a country regularly criticised by international rights groups for violating the basic rights of its 1.3 billion citizens.

Ma was accused by members of the island's pro-independence opposition of an about-face in his attitude to the 1989 crackdown as his nationalist administration seeks to improve ties with its former arch-rival.

'Instead of demanding China apologise for the crackdown, Ma is praising China for its human rights achievements and reforms,' said Cheng Wen-tsang, spokesman for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

'Ma is softening in his stance and he is selling his soul in order to appease China.

'He is adding salt to the wounds of the families of the victims of the crackdown,' Cheng said.

The DPP has vowed to push for a resolution in parliament to demand Beijing apologise for the crackdown, compensate the victims and allow exiled student leaders to return to China, he said.

The calls came as former student leader Wu'er Kaixi on Wednesday flew to the southern Chinese territory of Macau from Taipei, saying he wanted to turn himself in to face trial in China for his part in the protests that led to the crackdown.

The dissident, believed to still be in Macau on Thursday morning, earlier told AFP he had been detained and asked by immigration officials to return to Taiwan.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait had mounted during the eight-year rule of Ma's predecessor Chen Shui-bian, who often angered Beijing with his pro-independence policies.

But relations have improved dramatically since Ma's Beijing-friendly government took office last year.

The two sides have held three rounds of negotiations that resulted in regular direct flights and various measures to boost trade and tourism.