Chen Guangcheng gets the bums rush from US right into Chinese clutches:
Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese activist, has said he wants out of China, despite a "bogus"deal struck to ease him out of the US embassy in Beijing. In an effort to get the incident off the front page, it appears the US led Mr. Chen up a blind alley. Under an agreement that US officials initially said Chin was cool with, those close enough to know the real deal thought they'd hustle this guy off into oblivion and close the chapter quietly in the interest of bigger fish to fry.
Unfortunately, the world won't let the story die, as many are pushing the United States to press the Chinese harder on human rights while theChen Guangcheng story remains hot. Bringing the issues to a boil, Chen told Reuters news agency yesterday from the hospital, that he had changed his mind after speaking to his wife who spoke of recent threats made against his family. He was transported to the hospital by US said officials after leaving the embassy. (Maybe they told him they were on the way to the airport or to grab some Mac Donalds).
Either way, the Chinese government is pissed beyond measure and are seeking an apology from the Americans for interfering. With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Beijing for trade talks, the last thing she wanted, was to be pulled into was a complicated international incident the US is ill prepared and poorly equipped to handle.
Now mired in a stalemate with the Chinese government, Chen, the self taught legal activist is back under Chinese control in a Beijing hospital, having left the embassy on Wednesday. According to Chen's wife Yuan Weijing, his family had been surrounded by Chinese officials who menaced them and filled the family home.
Chen said on Thursday that he feared for his and his family's safety if he stayed in China. "I feel very unsafe. My rights and safety cannot be assured here," he said, adding that his family supported his decision to try to get to the US. Secretary Clinton was compelled to address the issues albeit gingerly considering the US' clout has been diminished over the years and the Chinese's steady assent during the same period.
The situation boils down to a diplomatic solution in which the US tried to convince Chen that his government would allow he and his family to start a new life in a university town, safe from the rural authorities who had abused him in prison and house arrest for nearly seven years. That deal has fallen apart.
His response to his predicament: "I want them to protect human rights through concrete actions," Chen Guangcheng told CNN from his hospital room in Beijing. "We are in danger. If you can talk to Hillary, I hope she can help my whole family leave China."
Good luck with that pal, cause the US simply don't have the pull it once had. Although, one could argue the Chinese Government could be close to over playing their hand, as these days, it don't take much to spark a movement. Mr. Chen Guangcheng has just the type of tale that could unite enough dissatisfaction to bring the masses into the streets.
While this guy Chen may be merely one in more than a billion, he still matters. America don't dis dissidents!
Comments
Post a Comment