For Immediate Release
Mr. Wu’er Kaixi Turning Himself in to the Chinese Embassy
Time: 11:00 am, May 18, 2012, Friday
Place: The Chinese Embassy in Washington DC
3505, International Place, N.W., Washington DC 20008
Mr. Wu’er Kaixi, formal Tiananmen student leader, is going to turn himself into the hands of the Chinese authority at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC. This will be his third time turning himself in to the Chinese authorities. Last time, in 2010, he tried to turn himself in at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. The Chinese Embassy had Mr. Wu’er Kaixi taken away by Tokyo police.
Mr. Wu’er Kaixi was one of the leaders of the Tiananment Student Movement in 1989. During the protest, he represented the students and had a dialogue with Premier Li Peng. After the crackdown of the student demonstration, Mr. Wu’er Kaixi was put on China’s most wanted list. He fled to France through Hong Kong, then studied at Harvard University. Today, Mr. Wu’er Kaixi lives in Taiwan.
One of the reasons for Mr. Wu’er Kaixi to turn himself in is that he has not seen his parents for 23 years. The Chinese government has listed Mr. Wu’er Kaixi on blacklist of returning to China; and also has prohibited his parents from traveling abroad. Secondly, he wants to use this opportunity to challenge the Chinese government to have a dialogue on the matter regarding the Tiananmen Massacre, “on the basic idea of right and wrong” in his own words.
Initiatives for China fully supports Mr. Wu’er Kaixi’s just action and calls for attention from the international community to this upcoming confrontation. ” Mr. Wu’er Kaixi has every right to challenge the Chinese authorities”, says Dr. Yang Jianli, president of Initiatives for China, “It is egregious for the Chinese government to separate the family for so long and this is just another case of how the Chinese government treats its own citizens. The world community should not trust governments who do not trust and mistreat their own people.”
Initiatives for China
May 17, 2012