Wanted by Chinese Govenment; Student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy group hopes to return to China to visit aging parents

Student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy hopes to return to China to visit aging parents

Wu’er Kaixi, one of the ten most wanted student leaders of the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China declares his intention to turn himself in to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region authority of China as he attempts to enter Hong Kong on November 24, 2013.

Wu’er Kaixi has not seen his parents in 24 years.

“Friends, Hong Kong Citizens,
Greetings!

I, Wu’er Kaixi, am subject to a most-wanted warrant issued by the Chinese government in 1989 by the Beijing Public Security Bureau and promulgated as an edict nationwide by the Ministry of Public Security.
I hereby make an appeal to the Hong Kong SAR and to the world.
I am willing to turn myself in to the Chinese authorities. I urge the SAR government, based on Chinese law, and by my own agreement, to exercise its judicial power and extradite me to the Chinese authorities.
As someone who is wanted by the Chinese government, why am I attempting turning myself in to the Chinese government, and why am I doing it in Hong Kong, which has its own laws, according to the constitutional principle of “One Country, Two Systems?” Moreover, why am I doing this in transit at Hong Kong International Airport? The reason is because it is my last resort. Since 2009, I have made similar attempts in Macau, Japan, and the United States to either enter China or Chinese embassies to face the Chinese government’s charges directly, but I have been denied every time. What I’m doing today is a result of the Chinese government’s absurd act of ordering my arrest, while at the same time refusing to allow me to return.
Assuming the Hong Kong government accepts the Chinese official position, which sees my participation in the 1989 student movement as part of a “conspiracy to subvert the government,” making me guilty of “counter revolutionary incitement,” the Hong Kong government should accept my request and help Chinese government to apprehend me. I understand that the transit area of Hong Kong International Airport is an international zone, but it is also an area within the Hong Kong government’s jurisdiction, and the Hong Kong authorities should at least consider my request to turn myself in.
If the Hong Kong government denies my request, and will neither arrest me nor help the Chinese government to apprehend me, I take this to mean that the Hong Kong government does not accept the People’s Republic of China’s official verdict on the Tiananmen student movement. If that is so, I appreciate it, and I then request the Hong Kong government stop denying Chinese dissidents the right to enter Hong Kong, giving me an opportunity to turn myself in to the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong.
Since 1989, I have been in exile for 24 years, and have not been able to see my parents and other family members. My parents are old and in ill health. The Chinese government refuses to issue passports for them to travel aboard and visit me. My parents have been told clearly that the reason they will not be issued passports is that their son is a dissident. I would like to ask the Chinese government, is this behavior in keeping with the international treaties it has signed; is it true to the spirit of Chinese traditional values; is it in accordance with PRC law?
I believe the answer to those questions is, no, and that is why I feel I have no alternative but to turn myself in. I miss my parents and my family, and I hope to be able to be reunited with them while they are still alive, even if the reunion would have to take place behind a glass wall.
Liu Xiaobo was arrested and sentenced for 11 years for expressing his political opinions, and he has now been in prison for five years. Many more Chinese citizens have been imprisoned for their ideas. Is this China’s idea of a “rising great nation” and the “China dream” – to name just two official catch-cries. In Liu Xiaobo’s case, his wife – who did not participate in her husband’s political activities – has also lost her freedom, and is denied the use of a telephone and the internet. I ask, what does this denial of fundamental rights really say about a government that claims to represent the interests of its people?
If my action causes any disturbances in Hong Kong, it was not my intention, and for that I am deeply sorry, and I beg for the people of Hong Kong’s understanding and forgiveness. But I would also like to ask the people of Hong Kong to think about one question: should we become blind to absurdity because we have been living with it for so long and have become accustomed to it?
During the student movement of 1989, the people of Hong Kong provided us with great support and encouragement. Hong Kong played an important role in the Chinese democracy movement. As a member of the student movement, I will always be grateful for this. After the Tiananmen massacre, Hong Kong’s “Operation Yellowbird” rescued many pro-democracy activists – including myself – making it possible for the pro-democracy movement to survive overseas, and I will always be indebted to Hong Kong for that. The Victoria Park memorial that has taken place annually since the 1989 massacre is a globally recognized beacon in support of our endeavors to bring democracy to China. I admire the people of Hong Kong for this. I hope my efforts to return home are finally a success on this occasion. If so, let me take this last opportunity to take a deep bow to Hong Kong, and express my deepest gratitude and admiration.”
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Announcement in 1989 by the Public Security Bureau – he was the number 2 most wanted.
“Ministry of Public Security June 13, 1989, issued an arrest warrant: (2) Wuerkaixi (formerly: Wu Erkai Xi), male, February 17, 1968 born, Uygur ethnicity, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous Yining County, Beijing Normal University, Department of Education. One hundred seventy-four centimeters tall, slightly yellow hair, long face, large eyes, thick lips, pale skin, his voice thick, speak Chinese, often wearing green trousers”

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