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CHINA JAILS DISSIDENT AT START OF PREMIER'S U.S. VISIT
Tue Dec 9 19:01:09 2003
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CHINA JAILS DISSIDENT AT START OF PREMIER'S U.S. VISIT
2003-12-08
http://origin.rfaweb.org/front/article.html?service=eng&encoding=10&id=122710

Listen to the original broadcast in Mandarin
http://origin.rfaweb.org/content/service/man/audio/1028kc1.mp3

The authorities in the northern Chinese city of Xi'an have handed down a two-year jail term to a former schoolteacher on subversion charges ahead of a meeting between the country's Premier Wen Jiabao and U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington, RFA’s Mandarin service reports.

The Intermediate People's Court sentenced Yan Jun Monday, following his detention in April for posting comments on the Internet appealing for a reassessment of the official verdict on the June 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations, which culminated in a massacre of unarmed protesters by People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops.

“After the sentencing, he felt he was wronged,” Yan’s mother, Dai Yuzhen, told RFA. “I was despondent, too, so much so that I fell into a state of confusion. I stayed with friends, and they tried to comfort me, but to no avail. I just couldn't help myself.”

“I asked Yan Jun whether he was going to appeal, and he said he would. And then sorrow took control of me and I cried. Seeing me cry, he kneeled down in front of me and said: 'Mom, don't cry. Devotion (to one's cause) and filial duty do not go hand-in-hand.' What could I say? I was indignant (about the sentencing) and yet felt helpless," she said.

Yan's sentencing was reported in a statement by the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, which also urged the U.S, including President Bush, to use the visit to put pressure on China to improve its rights record.

"We call on Bush to pressure Wen Jiabao to open up the Internet, allow religious freedom, and allow workers to set up independent unions," the Center's director Frank Lu said in a statement.

Human rights issues are likely to be high on the agenda at talks between Wen and Bush, and other top administration officials.

During his four-day official visit, which began Sunday, Wen is likely to hear demands for the release of another dissident, U.S. resident Yang Jianli. Yang, who is still awaiting a verdict following his trial for espionage in August. U.S. senators and representatives have already written to Bush and Wen expressing concern about Yang's imprisonment, which came after he returned to China using a friend's passport to observe labor unrest.

Yan Jun's is the latest in a string of prison sentences handed down to cyber-dissidents since Wen and a new generation of Chinese leaders took over almost a year ago. The middle school teacher was arrested in April after posting five essays online.

Apart from the call to reassess the Tiananmen verdict, Yan had also called on the government to allow independent labor unions, freedom of the press and expression, and to ratify U.N. human rights covenants to which Beijing is signatory.

This is Wen's first visit to the United States as Chinese premier. He will visit New York, Washington, and Boston.

In a written statement at the airport on arriving in the U.S., Wen said the China-U.S. relationship was at a "pivotal moment of continued advance" and was "faced with both opportunities and challenges."

"I look forward to an open and in-depth exchange of views with President Bush and other American leaders on bilateral relations and the current international situation," he said. "I also hope to help the American people better understand China."
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Free
Dr. Yang Jianli

Yang Jianli has been detained 592 days.

"My dear friends, let me ask you to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom some of us are enjoying outside Mainland China to the advance of freedom of the people there. When all of us are free then we look forward to that day when we will be joined as one." --- from Dr. Yang's opening speech at the first interethnic leadership conference in Boston, October 2, 2000
http://www.yangjianli.com/index.htm


Searched news for Yang Jian-li. Results 1 - 10 of about 28

Address:
Christina Fu: HCP HMS, 180 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115
info@yangjianli.com
===========================

Christina Fu on c-span... http://www.c-span.org

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SEE "THE BUSH CHINA CONNECTION"
Searched the web for Neil Bush + China.

http://whosecapitalism.typepad.com/blog/2003/11/is_neil_bush_ru.html

26.11.2003
Is Neil Bush running China policy, or just collecting money?

Calpundit has a post about China boss Jiang Zemin's son Jiang Mianheng paying $2 million to presidential brother Neil Bush for, well, maybe a cup of tea? And a few weeks back Josh Marshall at TalkingPointsMemo noted the furor in Taiwan over Taiwan boss Chen Shui Bian paying $1 million to Neil Bush for, I don't know, maybe a hotdog and Coke together?

The mainstream press hasn't been all over this, obviously. Wonder when that will happen.

ADD:

For more details about this, check out this Reuters story.

MORE . . .

I'd forgotten. Neil Bush several years back was doing business with Thai-Chinese tycoon Dhanin Chiaravanont, head of the CP group (Charoen Pokphand aka Chia Tai), which is into everything from agribusiness to telecoms to Wal-Mart style retailing (and is an earstwhile partner of Wal-Mart too). See this article. The CP group was well connected right up to the top of China, and especially into China's Shanghai elite -- and Jiang Zemin is the Shanghainese to know.

Here's another article about the Bush family and the CP Group.

Well, back around then Chiaravanont was also an unofficial friend of Bill -- he was one of those who paid into Clinton's political fund for having tea with the ex-Pres in the White House. Not as well known as James Riady, but about as wealthy and powerful in Asia. Anyway, I was thinking, maybe Neil Bush though Bill was onto something.

Oh yeah. Although they denied all responsibility, the CP Group was owner and operator of the Kader toy factory that burned down in Thailand in 1993, killing 182 people: the exits were locked and the building was substandard, and collapsed very quickly. Really great partners for Neil and the Bush family.

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• That man is in for a rude awakening... — C-shank, Wed Dec 10 06:50