Engnews October 2014

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RFA BREAKING NEWS: Jailed Prominent Vietnamese Blogger Dieu Cay Freed, on Way to US: Sources

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Jailed Prominent Vietnamese Blogger Dieu Cay Freed, on Way to US: Sources OCT. 21, 2014 – Authorities in Hanoi have freed one of Vietnam’s most prominent jailed bloggers and dissidents, Nguyen Van Hai, and deported him to the United States, sources said Tuesday. Hai, who is also known by his pen name Dieu Cay, was handed a 12-year prison sentence in September 2012 for conducting “anti-state propaganda” amid a crackdown on bloggers in the one-party state after his online articles slammed communist rule and highlighted alleged abuses by the authorities. He was first arrested in 2008. "Blogger Dieu Cay is on an airplane heading to the U.S.," a source in Hanoi told Radio Free Asia's Vietnamese Service, speaking on condition of anonymity. A source dealing with the State Department said she was told that Hai was on his way to Los Angeles. The State Department in Washington would not confirm the news. Straight to airport Hai's wife Duong Thi Tan said he was taken straight from his jail to the airport and put on a plane to the United States. "They let him go from Hanoi airport. We are in Saigon," Tan told RFA from Ho Chi Minh City, where she and their son are residing. "We only got a message saying that Hai was on the way to the Noi Bai airport. I called that number again several times, but he did not answer," she said. "The last message was he was on the airplane that was about to take off. I don’t know where it was heading to." "Hai could not call us at home," she said. "In fact, they did not let the family know anything about his release. There was no signal or notice. They deported him to exile, they did not release him just like what they said." Just two months ago, Hai had refused to make an official application to the authorities seeking his release from prison, insisting instead that they explain the reasons for his initial arrest and demanding that he be freed without condition. “He said that he told them he is innocent and that his arrest was illegal,” Tan said. Following a visit to Vietnam in early August by U.S. Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse, rumors had spread that Hai might be freed from jail on Vietnam’s Independence Day on Sept. 2, Tan said. On July 27, 2013, Hai ended a five-week-long hunger strike at Prison No. 6 in Vietnam’s northern Nghe An province after judicial authorities agreed to investigate his complaints over abuses in prison. Arrested in April 2008 after helping to lead anti-China protests, Hai was sentenced in 2009 to 30 months in prison on a charge of tax evasion but was not freed after completing his term, and was then charged with carrying out propaganda against the state. An appeals court upheld his sentence in December 2012, and authorities have repeatedly transferred him from one prison to another. Hai’s case has been adopted by the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and raised by U.S. President Barack Obama, whose administration has called on Hanoi to release all political prisoners in Vietnam. These included attempts by prison officials to force him to sign a document admitting guilt in the charges for which he was convicted, Tan said. Paris-based press freedoms watchdog Reporters Without Borders lists Vietnam as an “Enemy of the Internet” and the third-largest prison in the world for netizens. Vietnam is second only to China for the number of journalists jailed, according to the annual prison census of the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists, which counts 16 out of 18 Vietnamese reporters currently behind bars as bloggers. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/blogger-10212014122030.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 2 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: 22 Killed in Farmers' Market Attack in Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture

by Param

22 Killed in Farmers' Market Attack in Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture OCT. 18, 2014 – Four ethnic minority Uyghur men armed with knives and explosives attacked a farmers' market in northwestern China's unrest-plagued Xinjiang region this week, leaving 22 people dead, including police officers and the attackers themselves, according to police Saturday. The daring Oct. 12 raid on the majority Han Chinese Farmers Trading Center in Maralbeshi (in Chinese, Bachu) county in Kashgar prefecture has prompted a new security buildup in the region, where an upsurge of violence fueled by ethnic tensions has left about 300 dead in the past year and a half. The four Uyghurs stabbed an unknown number of police officers as they stormed into the township market hurling explosives and attacking Han Chinese stall owners before they were gunned down, police officers in the Chongqurchaq and Konabazar police stations in Maralbeshi told RFA's Uyghur Service. "According to brief notice I received, a total of 22 people were killed, including the four attackers, but I have no idea how many police officers were among the 18 [victims]," Qahar Ayup, the chief of the Chongqurchaq police station, said. Hashim Eli, a police officer at the Konabazar police station, said dozens of people were injured in the latest violence. "The four men arrived in two motorcycles at the farmers' market at 10:30 a.m.," he said. "Two of them attacked police officers patrolling the street while the other two attacked the Han Chinese stall owners who were just entering the market to open their stores." “Most of the business owners in the market were Han Chinese," Eli said. "The attackers carefully planned the attack to ensure that there were no Uyghur customers in the market." He said the four attackers, aged between 25 and 30, were from Aksakmaral Township in Maralbeshi county. Security stepped up Police said security has been stepped up following the attack, which came two days after two Uyghur men went on a stabbing spree in neighboring Hotan prefecture’s Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county on Oct. 10, killing three police officers and three government officials before they were gunned down. “It's true we have placed the city on red alert after the violence in Maralbeshi," Obul Yasin, a police officer in neighboring Tumshuk (in Chinese, Tumushuke) city said. "An emergency meeting has been held by Tumshuk City Police department and we have taken steps to prepare for any possible attacks here," he said. China has accused "terrorists" and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state for the persistent unrest in Xinjiang, where an anti-terror campaign has been underway since May, Uyghur groups have blamed the violence on heavy-handed rule, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. Radicalize Rights groups warn that the strike-hard campaign in Xinjiang could further radicalize the Uyghurs into fueling more violence. The Uyghur men who staged the Maralbeshi attack may have been frustrated by the jailing of more than 1,000 Uyghur youths in the county since May, when the authorities launched the anti-terror campaign, a retired government employee in the area said. “The Maralbeshi incident was not even reported in the local media but almost all the residents in the county heard about it and know why this happened," he said. Foreign journalists find it difficult to visit violence-wracked areas in Xinjiang, making it almost impossible to independently verify state media reports on the unrest in the region. Death penalty On Oct. 13, a court in Kashgar prefecture sentenced to death 12 people, all believed to be Uyghurs, blamed for attacks that killed 37 people in July, state media reported. The official Xinhua News Agency said the court sentenced another 15 people to death with a two-year reprieve while nine others received life sentences. Another 20 people received terms of four to 20 years. The sentences were linked to July 28 violence in Kashgar’s Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in which police shot dead dozens of knife and axe-wielding Uyghurs who went on a rampage, apparently angry over restrictions during the Ramadan holiday and the cold-blooded killing of a family of five. It was one of the worst clashes in Xinjiang since bloody riots in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 between Uyghurs and Han Chinese that left almost 200 people dead. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Shohret Hoshur. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/attack-10182014194433.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 2 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Three Police Officers Among Eight Killed in New Xinjiang Violence

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Three Police Officers Among Eight Killed in New Xinjiang Violence OCT. 13, 2014 – Two ethnic minority Uyghurs went on a stabbing spree in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region last week, killing three police officers and three government officials before they were gunned down by the authorities in the latest violence to hit the troubled region, according to local officials. Abdurehim Tuniyaz, 25, and Ablikim Abdurehim, 26, staged the killings in Hotan prefecture’s Guma (in Chinese, Pishan) county on Friday in what could have been a revenge attack over the death in police custody of one of their brothers, one source said. The two, who were on a motorcycle, began their stabbing rampage by killing two police officers on patrol in Guma township before taking the life of a government official near the area, the local officials said. They then traveled to nearby Kokterek township, where they killed two government officials and a police officer. The duo were on their way back to their home in Guma township on Sunday when they were surrounded by police and shot dead at a checkpoint, Turmemet Abdurehim and Abbas Khan, two village chiefs in the Kokterek township, told RFA’s Uyghur Service. Only two of the dead were identified by the officials—one of them a woman police officer, Peridem Kuresh, and the other a male police officer, Ablkim Mehsut. Both were Muslim Uyghurs while the third unidentified police officer was believed to be a majority Han Chinese, according to the officials. The slaying came amid an anti-terror campaign launched in Xinjiang following deadly attacks blamed by Beijing on Uyghur separatists and Islamist insurgents seeking to establish an independent state. Rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people. 'Outstanding officer' Kuresh was attached to the Kokterek police station and had been on patrol duty when she was stabbed to death, Khan said. “She was a very strict and an outstanding officer and had received awards a couple of times for her good work,” he said. The village chiefs said the motive of the attacks was unclear but a business owner in Guma township believed revenge by the two Uyghur youths could have been a reason. Tuniyaz’s brother was detained during the Ramadan Muslim fasting month in July and had died in police custody. “People are saying that it could have been a revenge attack for his brother who died in jail,” the business owner said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I believe so.” A teacher in Guma township, also speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated that the authorities would classify the new attacks as the work of “separatists.” “They were decent guys. When I last met them two years ago, they did not demonstrate any political leanings,” he said. Death sentences Meanwhile, a court in Xinjiang’s Kashgar prefecture has sentenced to death 12 people, all believed to be Uyghurs, blamed for deadly attacks in July, state media reported Monday. The official Xinhua News Agency said the court sentenced another 15 people to death with a two-year reprieve while nine others received life sentences. Another 20 people received terms of four to 20 years. The sentences were linked to July 28 violence in Kashgar’s Yarkand (in Chinese, Shache) county in which police shot dead dozens of knife and axe-wielding Uyghurs who went on a rampage, apparently angry over restrictions during the Ramadan holiday and the cold-blooded killing of a family of five. It was one of the worst clashes in Xinjiang since bloody riots in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009 between Uyghurs and Han Chinese that left almost 200 people dead. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/violence-10132014172244.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 3 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: China Imposes Harsh New Restrictions in Restive Tibet County

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

China Imposes Harsh New Restrictions in Restive Tibet County OCT. 7, 2014 – Chinese authorities have launched a campaign to tighten restrictions on monastic life in a restive county in Tibet, ordering the destruction of recently built religious structures and demanding that younger monks be expelled from the monasteries and sent back to their family homes, according to sources. The “rectification and cleansing” campaign in Driru (in Chinese, Biru) county in the Nagchu (Naqu) prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region was launched on Sept. 20 and will continue through Oct. 20, a local source told RFA’s Tibetan Service. Tibetans in Driru, a county considered “politically unstable” by Beijing, have long resisted forced displays of loyalty to Beijing, which has imposed tight restrictions in the area, including a clampdown on communications. Detailed instructions for Beijing's new campaign are contained in a 30-page document that is being distributed door-to-door by government workers in all the monasteries and villages in Driru,” the RFA source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “All new stupas, mounds of mani stones [stones displaying carved mantras], and shrines built after 2010 have been declared illegal and must be destroyed by a specified deadline,” the source said, adding that the monasteries or villages that originally set the structures up must be the ones to take them down. “If they do not comply, the government will do it for them,” he said. “It has also been ordered that retreat facilities built after Nov. 1, 2011, including houses for individual retreatants, must be torn down,” he said. 'Underage' monks expelled Monks aged 12 and younger may no longer be enrolled in Driru-area monasteries, and those now present must return to their family homes by Oct. 20 or be expelled, with monastic leaders held criminally responsible if any remain beyond that date, the source said. “Families who refuse to take their children back may be detained for six months, or even sent to jail for terms of from one to three years,” he said. “If the lamas or khenpos in the monasteries hold back any of the underage monks, they will be punished and expelled themselves.” Driru is one of three neighboring counties in Tibet’s eastern Nagchu prefecture from which Chinese authorities fear political unrest may spread unchecked to other parts of the region. About 1,000 Driru-area Tibetans have been detained since authorities launched a crackdown in September 2013 when Beijing began a campaign to force Tibetans to fly the Chinese national flag from their homes, sources say. The campaign intensified in early October 2013 when villagers refused to fly the flags, throwing them instead into a river and prompting a deadly security crackdown in which Chinese police fired into unarmed crowds. “Now, monks and nuns who defy instructions to fly the Chinese flag from their houses or to prominently display photos of Chinese leaders will be expelled from the monastic community,” RFA’s source said. “They are also forbidden from keeping photos of the Dalai Lama, and if these are found in their possession they will be ‘re-educated’ and deprived of the state benefits provided for monks and nuns by Chinese policy.” Members of the public found with photos of the exiled spiritual leader must attend a six-month “refresher course” on Chinese law and will be banned for two years from collecting cordyceps sinensis, a valuable fungus harvested and sold for its purported medicinal properties, he added. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA’s Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/harsh-10072014165921.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 3 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: US Senators Call For De-Escalation of Hong Kong Political Standoff

by Param

US Senators Call For De-Escalation of Hong Kong Political Standoff OCT. 5, 2014 – Two key U.S. senators called Sunday for a "de-escalation" of the one week standoff between the authorities in Hong Kong and pro-democracy protesters, saying "good faith" negotiations were key to breaking the stalemate over election reforms for the former British colony. The call came as a Monday government deadline loomed for demonstrators to clear Hong Kong's streets with the semiautonomous Chinese territory's Beijing-backed Chief Executive C.Y. Leung claiming the mass protests occupying key areas risked "serious consequences" for public safety. The protesters have demanded the right for the residents of Hong Kong to nominate who can run as the territory's next leader in 2017 elections while Beijing insists that only candidates it has screened will be able to participate in the polls. "As democratically elected members of the United States Senate, we strongly support the Hong Kong people's aspiration for universal suffrage and full democracy," U.S. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy and Republican Senator Roger Wicker said in a statement. "We urge all parties to follow the path of restraint, de-escalation, and good faith dialogue in pursuit of that goal," said Leahy, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and Wicker, the Republican Deputy Whip. Leahy, the most senior senator who is the third in the presidential line of succession, and Wicker also condemned the "violent attacks" against peaceful demonstrators in Hong Kong. Two of Hong Kong's busiest shopping districts plunged into chaos on Friday as angry opponents clashed with protesters, tearing down their tents and barricades, amid allegations by pro-democracy crowds that triad criminal gangs backed by Beijing had been brought in stir up trouble. On Saturday, fresh clashes occurred in Mong Kok, a densely packed working-class district of shops and apartments, with complaints of sexual assaults and attacks on journalists in the crowds. 'Dismayed' '"We are dismayed that Hong Kong authorities have not taken necessary steps to protect peaceful protesters from these cowardly attacks by individuals who seek to deny their right of peaceful assembly," the senators said. "The people of Hong Kong must be applauded and supported for their remarkable courage and determination in extraordinarily challenging circumstances." The senators said the "Umbrella Movement" has shown the world the inspirational power of free expression in defense of the fundamental right to choose one's leaders. Protesters had used umbrellas to deflect pepper spray and tear gas fired by police last Sunday when the government moved to disperse the crowd. Reports on Sunday said student protesters occupying the area outside Hong Kong's government headquarters have agreed to remove some barricades that have blocked the building's entrance during the weeklong pro-democracy protests, the Associated Press reported. Television footage from the scene showed a protest representative shaking hands with a police officer. It was not immediately clear whether all the students had decided to withdraw from the scene, AP said. The move appeared to be part of a strategy to regroup in another part of town. Reported by RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/senators-10052014065307.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 3 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Tibetan Man Self-Immolates In Front of Police Station in Qinghai

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

Tibetan Man Self-Immolates In Front of Police Station in Qinghai OCT. 4, 2014 – A Tibetan man has burned himself in front of a police station in protest against Chinese rule in Qinghai province, sources said Saturday, in the second Tibetan self-immolation in less than a month. Kunchok, 42, set himself on fire beside a police station in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture on Sept. 16 but Tibetans nearby managed to douse the flames and rushed him to a nearby hospital, the sources said. Information of his burning in Tsang Khor town emerged only on Saturday, apparently due to communication clampdowns usually imposed by Chinese authorities following self-immolation protests, they said. Kunchok, whose son is a monk and daughter a nun in a local monastery, "self-immolated in protest against Chinese policy in Tibet," a Tibetan with contacts in Gade county told RFA's Tibetan Service. "He did it for the interest of the Tibetans." "He's now in great pain," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "While he's being treated, he often breaks down in tears over his failure to die in the self-immolation. He regrets not accomplishing what he planned to do." The source said Kunchok's chances of survival are "slim." Secret treatment Another source, also with contacts in the area, said Tibetans who saw Kunchok on fire immediately went to put out the flames and rushed him to an undisclosed hospital in the provincial capital Xining, "where he is being treated secretly." "We cannot reveal other details since the relatives fear that those who helped him could land in trouble with the authorities," the source said. "The family members also fear that Kunchok could be taken away by the authorities if he survives," the source said. "If he does not survive, the authorities would also not return the body to the family.” A third source said Chinese authorities have beefed up security, installing security cameras at vantage points in Gade county, following the self-immolation. "It is very difficult to give you more details since we are constantly being watched with cameras installed at different places, including the front and rear of the monasteries in this area," the source said. Kunchok's burning protest brought the total number of Tibetan self-immolations in China to 133 since the fiery protests began in 2009 challenging Chinese rule in Tibetan areas and calling for the return from exile of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. Student victim The last reported self-immolation burning protest was on Sept. 17 — one day after Kunchok's self-immolation — when a 22-year-old Tibetan student burned himself to death in front of a police station in Gansu province in protest against Chinese rule. Lhamo Tashi set himself on fire and shouted slogans in front of the Kanlho (in Chinese, Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture's police station in Tsoe (Hezuo) county before succumbing to his burns on the spot, sources had told RFA on Sept. 21. Chinese authorities have tightened controls in a bid to check self-immolation protests, arresting and jailing Tibetans linked to the burnings. Some have been jailed for up to 15 years. Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai. View this story online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/burning-10042014192656.html Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 3 months

RFA BREAKING NEWS: Exclusive commentary on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests by a former aide to the late Chinese premier Zhao Ziyang.

by Parameswaran Ponnudurai

OCT. 4, 2014 – Below is a commentary on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests written exclusively for Radio Free Asia’s Mandarin Service by Bao Tong, a political aide to China’s late premier Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted during the 1989 student-led pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square. Bao Tong lives under house arrest at his Beijing home. In his commentary, Bao Tong, among other things, calls on the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters to take a 'break.' The full commentary: 'The seeds have already been sown, they need time to lie fallow' A commentary by Bao Tong True patriots are those who say "no" to fake universal suffrage. They are "the ones who don't wish to be slaves" [in China's national anthem.] So I am naturally proud of those who put the principles of "a high degree of autonomy," and "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong," into practice. So, transportation and some businesses in Hong Kong appear to have been paralyzed. We should ask who is responsible for this, and what has caused this state of affairs? Some say it was caused by the Occupy Central campaign. That's wrong. Occupy Central was forced into existence after the legitimate rights of citizens were denied them. At the heart of the matter, the responsibility lies with bureaucrats acting on their own and not serving any master. The same people say: "If the demonstrations continue, our political and economic system will be damaged. The thing we fear most of all is damage to, and loss of confidence in, Hong Kong's market. This sort of damage will be permanent, and we can't afford it." Consensus view of history Actually, if the National People's Congress refuses to rescind its [Aug. 31] announcement; if "one country, two systems," becomes "one country, one system," then Hong Kong's political and economic system will certainly be damaged, and that thing we fear the most, that damage to and loss of confidence in Hong Kong's markets will come about. I have no doubt that one day, this view will have become the consensus view of history. But saying it out loud now, I don't think it has much chance of being heard. This will take at least a little time. If I were one of the protesters, I would probably want a rest from the debate for a while. The seeds have already been sown, and they need time to lie fallow. No great task can be achieved all at once; they all need some time to gestate. There's no need to keep digging up the seeds to see if they're still growing every day. Take a break, for the sake of future room to grow. For tomorrow. Bao Tong, political aide to the late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, is currently under house arrest at his home in Beijing. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. View this commentary online at: http://www.rfa.org/english/commentaries/baotong/democracy-10042014172414.ht… Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news media. RFA’s broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to “seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. If you no longer wish to receive RFA news releases, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-leave@rfanews.org> engnews-leave(a)rfanews.org. To add your name to our mailing list, send an e-mail to <mailto:engnews-join@rfanews.org> engnews-join(a)rfanews.org . ##### All media inquiries may be sent to Rohit Mahajan at <mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org> mahajanr(a)rfa.org.

10 years, 3 months

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Engnews October 2014