Subject: IFCSS HQ NR-4012: Statement: Safety on Returning Questioned

From: IFCSS HQ <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 18:13:42 -0400

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IFCSS Headquarters News Release No. 4012     September 2, 1992
          IFCSS STATEMENT ON THE NEW GOVERNMENT POLICY
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Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS)
   733 15th Street, N.W., Suite 440, Washington, D.C.20005
         Tel. (202)347-0017  Fax: (202)347-0018
                Email: [email-masked]

          IFCSS Statement on New Government Policy
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Dear IFCSS Members:

    On August 20, IFCSS HQ received information about the
new government policies on the return of overseas Chinese
students. The HQ responded by releasing a statement (in
Chinese) to several newspapers such as World Daily, Hong
Kong's Min Pao, Press Freedom Herald, etc. (see World Daily
August 23, 1992).

    On August 27, the statement was translated into
English and was sent to major news media in the United
States as well the offices of several Congressional
members. The statement is included here for your
reference.

    Thanks for your attention.

Enclosure
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                6:00 pm    August 27, 1992           

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=====================

             Safety over the Return to China Questioned
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 Chinese Student Organizations Respond to New Government Policy

     Chinese students in the United States and in other countries
are not convinced by the new Chinese government policy that they
are safe to return to China now.

     A statement released by the Headquarters of the Independent
Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS) pointed out
that the Chinese government has not taken any meaningful and
concrete steps to initiate political reform and to improve the
human rights conditions in China. The organization observed that
the political culture of China remains oppressive, thousands of
political prisoners are still jailed and abused, and the
hostility of the Chinese government toward overseas student
organizations and other pro-democracy forces has not receded.
Under this situation, the statement concludes that it is not safe
for Chinese students to return to China at this time and it
advises its members to take caution when they consider making
long-term trips to China.

    A similar statement was adopted on August 24 by the delegates
to the Third Convention of the Global Federation of Chinese
Students and Scholars. The Convention was held in Germany from
August 22 to 24.

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A Statement of the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and
Scholars (IFCSS) on Chinese Government's New Regulations on the
Return of Overseas Chinese
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     The Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars
(hereafter referred to as IFCSS) is an organization composed of
students and scholars from Mainland China. Our members have a
deep love for our homeland. We sincerely hope that after we
complete our studies in the United States, we can return to China
to contribute to China's development and prosperity. But, three
years ago, the Communist Government used tanks and machine guns
to put down the '89 democratic movement and maintained a
high-handed policy ever since. Our dreams were therefore broken.
We cannot return to our home country and cannot visit our
families and friends and faced uncertainties in our lives,
emotion and career.

    The IFCSS, as the representative of Chinese students and
scholars, has repeatedly urged the Chinese Government to attract
the overseas Chinese students by improving the political
environment in China. However, our good will did not bring about
positive responses; instead, it met with hostility, slander,
attack and persecution from the Chinese Government. Nevertheless,
we have continued our efforts with a hope that some day the
Chinese Government will change its position and join the world-
wide mainstream of democracy.

    The recent new government regulations on the return of
overseas students seem to provide favorable living and working
conditions to the returned students. It is also stated in the
regulations that the students will not be punished for their
political activities in the past. After carefully examining the
situations in China, we believe that it is not the proper time
for the Chinese students and scholars to return right now. We
urge the Chinese students and scholars in the United States to
take caution in making trips to China, especially if some of them
plan an extended stay or permanent return. 

    We base our conclusion on the following observations:

    1. The repressive policies of the Chinese Government have not
been changed. The Communist Party so far has shown no repentance
for its brutal crackdown of the '89 Democratic Movement. Senior
government leaders promised to resort to the same method to
handle pro-democracy movements in the future. There is no sign of
political reform. The incalcitrant leftists, although hated by
the people, still occupy top government positions, while liberal
reformers like Zhao Zhiyang and Bao Tong, who have the support of
the people, are side-lined and persecuted. The control over the
mind, speech and public opinion has not loosened, but the
oppressive political machine has been constantly strengthened.

    2. The overall human rights conditions have not changed.
After the June 4 Massacre, the Chinese Government started a
nation-wide mass persecution. Thousands of pro-democracy
activists were put into prison. Many were arrested and jailed
without a trial. Regular legal procedures were ignored and the
rights of the persecuted were abused. People were punished for a
few words of discontent. Many lost their homes, properties and
income. As of today, thousands of political prisoners are still
jailed and persecuted.

   3. The government hostility toward overseas democractic
movement has not changed. After the June 4 Massacre, the
Communist Government used various methods to attack and sabotage
the organizations of overseas Chinese students. It resorted to
the method of "divide and control," engaging in spreading rumor,
slandering, harassment, and intimidation. Pro-democracy activists
had troubles in having passport extention, some of their family
members were detained in China as hostages, and not long ago, a
student was rejected at the border by the Chinese Government for
her involvement in the prodemocracy activities in the U.S..

   4. The Chinese government has had a long history of breaking
its promises. Several years ago, the Chinese Communist Party
declared that it would never launch political movement, but then
we saw the "anti-spiritual pollution" movement, the "anti-
Bourgeoise liberalization movement," the tank and machine guns in
Tiananmen Square and the nation-wide political persecution which
is still going on today. In the May of 1989, Li Peng and other
government leaders declared that the students were "patriotic",
in less than a month, thousands innocent students were massacred
and jailed by the order from the same government. The students
leaders were either put into prison or forced into hidding and
some had to flee to other countries. At a time when the reformers
such as Bao Tong and Gao Shan faced unfair trial, when Wang
Juntao launched a new round of hunger strike to protest the
inhuman treatment in the prison, when the government insists
freedom of speech is a crime, how can we trust the sincerity of
the Chinese government?

    In short, the biggest obstacle preventing the return of
overseas Chinese students are the Communist dictatorship and
repressive policies of the Chinese government. Without
significant changes in the political system, the shadow of
political persecution will always hang over the overseas Chinese
students and scholars. 

    A lesson from the past. In the 1950s, overseas Chinese
students and scholars braved all kinds of hardships to return to
China by the thousand, hoping to contribute with their knowledge
learned from the West to the development of a new China. Some
years later, these returned students were treated as
"rightists" or "imperial agents" and were either put into prison
or sent to the deserted areas for re-education. They faced
political discrimination, lived a poor and bitter life and were
suspended from their research for years or even decades. The
IFCSS does not want to see such a historical tragedy repeat
itself in our generation.

   If the Chinese Government is sincere about improving human
rights conditions, it should start with improvements inside
China. The release of all political prisoners,  for instance,
would do much more to convince the overseas students to return
than repeated promises of non-persecution or a video show of
"happy" prisoners.

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         IFCSS Headquarters Office    Signature
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