Subject: CND-EP Special for Australia, June 27, 1990

From: <yawei>
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 90 23:54:08 -0500

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=====================  Europe / Pacific Section (CND-EP) =====================
                                 June 27, 1990

                 Special Issue on Immigration Affairs 
          Regarding Chinese Students in Australia (Series III)
            (This issue is distributed to Australia only)

---------------------------- Table of Contents ---------------------------
No. Subject                                                     # of Lines

1. 24,000 Chinese Will Be Allowed To Stay in Australia..................11

2. We Are Very Concerned and Deely Worried about Our Future
   --- A Letter to Australian Ministers from Chinese Students
       Association at the University of Adelaide........................60

3. Comments on Chinese Students' Stay in Australia......................25
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1. 24,000 Chinese Will Be Allowed To Stay in Australia
====================================================================(11 lines)
>From: Zhuo-peng Feng STMA <[email-masked]> Date: Wed, 27 Jun 90 10:50
source: 27/06/1990 ( ABC News 10:00 am)

Last night the Australian Cabinet discussed the circumstance of Chinese here.
They reached an agreement which allowed 24,000 Chinese students to stay here.

Those students, who came to Aus. before 20th of June last year, can be
granted four year special visas with medicare and working permission. After
the period of staying here they can apply for P.R. directly.

Tonight, the Cabinet will formalize and announce the decision.
==============================================================================

2. We Are Very Concerned and Deely Worried about Our Future
   --- A Letter to Australian Ministers from Chinese Students
       Association at the University of Adelaide
====================================================================(60 lines)
>Provided by CND Correspondent  ydw105%csc@anu Tue Jun 26 23:13:17 1990

Dear Ministers,

We,the Chinese students currently studying at tertiary institutions in
South Australia, are writing to you to express the deepest concern and worry
about our future.

As you know, the Chinese government has a notorious history of persecuting
dissidents. Till now the Chinese leadership still threats the students abroad
"guickly wake up to past misdeeds", then could " be forgiven", be welcomed
(15 June,China's People Daily). So by our standards, the mile stone which
will mark the radical change of China's political situation should only be
the event that the Chinese goverment redresses Tian-an-men Square's pro-
democracy movement and  practises  free speech and free press system. Before 
that,  we will certainly face the investigation and the persecution after 
reture to china. We have had so much bloody lessons. And that is why we 
must fight to put an end to China's autocratic system.

The problem is when this radical change will happen? In other words, how long
will it be for us to stay and wait in Australia? 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
For so long time in uncertain "Limbo-land" status, it would certainly bring 
severe damage and suffering to us in mental, phsical, enterprise, family 
life......aspects, and ruin our whole life.

While the Australian governmert is still making the relevant decision, we wish
the following suggestions could be taken into your consideration.

1. To avoid the horrible and uncertain status, combine, if possible, the
protection policy with the permission to stay permanently.

2. It is still reasonable, realistic, and easy to allow those students who 
were legal in stay at the time of the Tienanmen massacre to stay permanently.

3. Start and speed up processing the applications for permanent residency 
already lodged by Chinese students.

4. Open and provide with  facilities, if possible, for the Chinese students
to apply for permanent residency in various normal channals and grounds.

5. Retain the right for the Chinese students who are eligible to apply
for permanent residency but so fat not yet.

6. Allow the students who arrived here after 20 June, 1989, but are indeed 
facing persecution to apply for special entry permit to stay longer 
or permanently.

7. Please consider and  help those Chinese students whose passports will be
expired  soon.

8. Retain basic human rights for the Chinese students including medicare, 
employment, education and family reunion so that they can have a normol life 
during their stay in Australia.

The protection provided by the Australia government will not only benefit
the Chinese students and improve the development of China's pre-democracy 
movement, but will coincide with the Australia fundamental interest in 
both a short and long-term point of view. As being well educated 
and hard-working, we would certainly make a significant contribution to 
the Australia society.

We are so grateful to the Prime Minister Mr. Bob Hawke and the Australia 
government for the deep concern about the lives and future of the Chinese 
students.

                                       Chinese Students
                                       in South Australia
===============================================================================

3. Comments on Chinese Students' Stay in Australia
=====================================================================(25 lines)
>From **@****.**.adfa.oz.au Tue Jun 19 10:42:27 1990

Hi,
  Would you please distribute my comment to the others? Thanks

  I would like to comment on recent events concerning the status of
  Chinese students.

  1) In my environment I heared some comments from the others, mainly
  negative. The reaction of the students to Mr Hawke's statements is
  regarded as unclever. I myself also think that it was overreacted
  (especially the 'hunger strike threat' (I couldn't believe it).

  2) It seems to me that Chinese students here are compaigning too
  strongly emphasized on permanent residency rather than on an effective
  protection (which in the best case would be the granting of permanent
  residency). This is widely been regarded as queue jumping in immigration.

  3) I haven't heared any grateful word from the students organization
  for the (although less complete) protection granted by the government
  or doesn't it come through the media? Because we are asking the others
  to help we are certainly indebted to the helps granted (to whatever
  degree).

  4) I think for those Chinese here in Australia with real danger when
  returning to China, it is most crucial to gain public understanding
  and support. For this the public image of us all has to be improved.
  It is important to make people understand that we are really fighting
  for China and not just ourselves.

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