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Happy Birthday Chen Guangcheng

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  1. #21

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    Per Xinhua via Reuters:

    More: Chen Guangcheng left the US Embassy in Beijing of his own volition after being there for 6 days - Xinhua via @Reuters
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  2. #22

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    And apparently it is the American's fault when a Chinese person thinks the safest place in China is the US embassy (from CNN):

    China, meanwhile, demanded an apology from the United States for its handling of the situation. Liu Weimin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in comments reported by the state-run news agency Xinhua, called the U.S. activity "interference in Chinese domestic affairs, and this is totally unacceptable to China,"

    "China demands that the U.S. apologize over this, thoroughly investigate this incident, punish those who are responsible and give assurances that such incidents will not recur," Liu said.

  3. #23

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    I wonder whether Chen left the embassy out of fear of what would be done to his wife and child by the Chinese authorities.

    It doesn't seem possible that he genuinely could have been so daft as to trust the government's assurances that he would be treated as a normal citizen if he left the US embassy.

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  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by dear giant:
    I wonder whether Chen left the embassy out of fear of what would be done to his wife and child by the Chinese authorities.

    It doesn't seem possible that he genuinely could have been so daft as to trust the government's assurances that he would be treated as a normal citizen if he left the US embassy.
    He would probably get the same 'vacation style' treatment Wang Li Jun (Bo Xi Lai's former henchman and would-be defector) got and disappear from the face of the earth.
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  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by dear giant:
    I wonder whether Chen left the embassy out of fear of what would be done to his wife and child by the Chinese authorities.

    It doesn't seem possible that he genuinely could have been so daft as to trust the government's assurances that he would be treated as a normal citizen if he left the US embassy.
    There's really no good option for Chen.

    1. He leaves China and seeks asylum and puts his family in peril and can no longer champion his cause.

    2. He stays in China and *maybe* his friends and family are safe and he becomes a martyr for his cause.
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  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by dear giant:
    I wonder whether Chen left the embassy out of fear of what would be done to his wife and child by the Chinese authorities.

    It doesn't seem possible that he genuinely could have been so daft as to trust the government's assurances that he would be treated as a normal citizen if he left the US embassy.
    Sadly, you are right, DG.

    Per the AP
    More: Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng tells @AP he was told Chinese officials would have killed his wife had he not left embassy - @AP
    More from CNN.
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  7. #27

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    Ugh. If only he had (1.) been able to take his wife and child with him when he escaped and (2.) run for a land border / waiting fishing boat instead of to the US embassy.

    I'm not blaming Chen Guangcheng. I am sure that he did the best that he could under impossible circumstances and is basically sacrificing himself in hopes of mitigating his family's punishment.


  8. #28

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    Chiense negoation skills go where Americans cannot unless you're a terror suspect.


  9. #29

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    Maybe this was his endgame - to go out with his guns ablaze and become the symbol of a cause.

    -He must have known what fate awaited his friends and family if he escaped.
    -He might have guessed the U.S. might not be in a position to airlift him to safety.
    -He may have timed this escape to coincide with Hilary Clinton's visit to put both the US and China in the spotlight.
    -Maybe with the world-wide attention he's untouchable (or less touchable).
    -He is taking up the mantle of Ang Sung Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela.

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  10. #30

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    Lots of contradicting info out there right now . . .

    Per the AP:

    More: Chen Guangcheng says he now wants to leave China, fears for his family's safety - @AP
    Per Reuters:
    Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng left the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday after winning striking concessions from Communist Party authorities that will keep him as a pivotal figure in China-U.S. relations.
    Full article here.


    Both reported within the last hour.
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