Chen wants to leave China

FinsnFur · May 03, 2012, 05:58:52 PM

...who the hell cares and why would we?
I dont understand the significance of this. Granted there's much more happening then I'm aware of,...so what is exactly IS happening??
It's on the news people are all up tight, Google makes a mess out of it.
What... is he going to come over here and run for president since we owe China so much money or whats the big deal??

Okanagan · May 03, 2012, 06:48:43 PM

Remember the Chinese man who stood in front of a tank in Tiannamin Square? Was he brave or stupid to openly stand against tyranny of his government? Both?

This guy is doing the same thing in a different way, on a world stage. He openly opposed the killing policies of his government, and they put him in jail. He is blind. He escaped last week and made it across country 400 miles to the US Embassy and asked for asylum. No doubt there are Chinese politicians who are disgusted that they did not execute the guy in an alley while they had him in custody. He is embarrassing China because he is one of their citizens and he is telling the world openly that his country is run by a bunch of murderous crooks.

I don't know if I would like the guy in person but I am kind of rooting for him, as the little guy who is standing for what is right, against a monstrously big and powerful government opponent. We may all be called to do the same within our lifetimes.

It is an old story, as old as despots and freedom loving people. What side is the US going to take? What side should the US take? Should the US take any side in this? Plenty of pretty good arguments for any of these positions.

The Russian novelist Solzhenitsyn was in the same position during the Cold War, and made it to the US. He embarrassed them by writing books about Soviet prison camps where they had held him for decades. They banned his books in Russia. Etc.

A Chinese Nathan Hale? Maybe.

Added: Chen's only chance to stay alive now is news coverage big enough that it will embarrass the
Chinese government even more if they kill him and make a martyr out of him. He is probably hoping now that they will kick him out of the country. Then they can call him a traitor who turned against China and hope that will smear him enough that Chinese people won't listen to him.

JohnP · May 03, 2012, 06:57:39 PM

In addition to what Okanagan said in years past he would have been granted immediate asylum and on a plane out of the China . Under this administration and the amount of money we owe China asylum is out of the question. What until China takes back Taiwan and we do nothing about it.

bambam · May 03, 2012, 08:10:34 PM

Probably a frickin spy. Leave him there.

FinsnFur · May 03, 2012, 10:17:53 PM

But what makes him so significant? There has to be hundreds if not thousands of people over their that are against the countries tyranny.
And who defines true tyranny?

We have people here that are against our government...

and we arent in jail.
I'm missing a piece of this aint, I?

HaMeR · May 04, 2012, 08:25:41 PM

Quote from: bambam on May 03, 2012, 08:10:34 PM
Probably a frickin spy. Leave him there.

How does a blind man escape prison & travel 400 miles without being caught?

Okanagan · May 05, 2012, 03:03:20 PM

Quote from: HaMeR on May 04, 2012, 08:25:41 PM
Quote from: bambam on May 03, 2012, 08:10:34 PM
Probably a frickin spy. Leave him there.

How does a blind man escape prison & travel 400 miles without being caught?

News said that the Americans helped him escape and get inside the Embassy, which surprised me (who knows what is true, but he had to have help). Sounds like not all of the Americans are on the same page on this one. Anybody who helped him escape would likely be the old style anti-communist Americans that John mentioned. Apparently they didn't check with the new style American government, who don't want to embarrass comrades in China.

HaMeR · May 09, 2012, 03:22:48 PM

Gotcha!! Thanks!!

Okanagan · June 02, 2012, 08:21:37 PM

Chen is now in the US. I've been travelling in places away from news coverage, but heard last week that Chen's brother in China was grabbed on the street and has disappeared. Has anyone heard any more on that?

The Chinese government is either getting revenge on Chen or they are sending him a message that he'd better watch what he says in the US if he cares for his brother in China. If it is revenge the brother is probably dead. Otherwise he is a hostage.

No Asian subtlety in this game between ambassadors, just heavy handed brute force.