chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (Bo Chi) (12/18/89)
| +---------I __L__ ___/ \ -------I +----+----+ | ___\_\_ | \./ | | -----+- | | | | | __ \/ | --+-- |--- | |---| | I----+----I | I__J/\ | __|__ | | | |---| | | | _____ \ | /| \ | | | L__-| | I I---------J / J \/ | | V | J * C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t * (ND Canada Service) -- Dec. 18 (I), 1989 Table of Contents # of Lines 1. Japan Returns Hijacked Plane and Hijacker's Wife and Child To China ....................... 31 2. News From Nankai University in Tianjin Province ................ 19 3. Beijing Workers Hold Rally Over Wages .......................... 23 4. China Devalued Its Currency (RMB) by 21.2% ..................... 42 5. Wu'er Kaixi Struggles With English, Subtleties of Leadership ... 97 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Japan Returns Hijacked Plane and Hijacker's Wife and Child To China --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: IZZYQ00@UCLAMVS.BITNET (J. Ding) Source: Associated Press, 12/16/89 A Chinese airliner hijacked to Japan was flown back to Beijing on Sunday, with the hijacker's wife and 10-year-old son on board. The Air China Boeing 747 was heading from Beijing to New York on Saturday when a knife-wielding man ordered the pilot to fly to South Korea. South Korea refused permission to land, and the pilot diverted to Fukuoka, 560 miles southwest of Tokyo. President Yang Shangkun, at a brief news conference before setting out on an 11-day trip to the Middle East, thanked Japanese authorities for their cooperation in ending the hijacking. The hijacker, who was hospitalized, was not on the return flight. Police and airline officials said they did not know the status of the returning wife and child, but foreign reporters saw her led from the plane in handcuffs. Japanese police said Zhang's wife, whose name has not been released, said she wanted to return to China. They quoted Zhang as saying she and the child did not know about his hijacking plans. An official at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, in charge of all airlines, said 185 of the 200 passengers on Air China Flight 981 flew back with the plane and would re-start their journey. He said the others planned to continue their trip from Japan. CAAC said most of the passengers were Chinese. Japanese police said there were 19 non-Chinese, including 12 Americans. Flight 981 was on a flight from Beijing to New York via Shanghai and San Francisco when Zhang ordered the plane to fly to South Korea. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. News From Nankai University in Tianjin Province --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ND Correspondent The following news is from a Chinese student who keep close connection with Nankai University, his mother school. 1. A student of Class 86(those who entered Nankai in 1986) was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for putting out a poster to denounce the June 4th massacre. His crime: anti-revolutionary propagada. 2. A student of Class 86 commited suicide by jumping from the high level of a building, where she was detained(Ge2 Li2 Shen3 Cha2) by order the of the school officials to investigate her connections with the illegal student organization in Beijing(Bei3 Gao1 Lian2) during the May demostrations. This was the first confirmed suicide case that was directly related to the persecusion movement following the June crackdown. 3. No official document has been issued yet to ban students or young faculties to study overseas. But the Univ. has decided that any graduate student must pay RMB 21,000(about $5,500 by official rate) for his education received in Nankai before he can be 'allowed' to go; the price for a undergraduate is RMB 17,000(about $4,600). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Beijing Workers Hold Rally Over Wages --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hkucs!kwchan@uunet.UU.net (Society of HKU Postgraduates) Source : South China Morning Post, 12/16/89 Bottled-up discontent at government policies has surfaced in Beijing where a row over wages recently erupted at China's biggest steel works and students held their first protest march in six months. A government official confirmed yesterday that students from the Beijing institute of Aeronautics had defied martial law by staging an illegal march last Saturday and that eight had been arrested. One later escaped. While students were demanding political change, workers at the nearby Capital Iron and Steel Works have been complaining angrily about the government's economic austerity policy. Workers interviewed near the foundry's belching chimneys said a pay dispute with managers of the state-run plant had boiled over into heated arguments late last month. "The arguments blew up quite badly when we found out about it," said a foundry worker. "Workers were shouting and swearing at the foremen all day and grumbling to each other." He and others from different workshops in the sprawling complex of 180,000 staff confirmed widespread rumours that the company's managers had failed to award November pay bonuses which workers said they deserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. China Devalued Its Currency (RMB) by 21.2% --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hkucs!kwchan@uunet.UU.net (Society of HKU Postgraduates) Source : South China Morning Post, 12/16/89 >From John Kohut in Beijing, Geoffrey Grothall and Daniel Kwan China devalued its currency by 21.2 per cent yesterday in an attempt to boost exports and revive an ailing economy in which factories have been forced to cut production drastically and lay off large numbers of workers. The devaluation, which was expected - but not this early - should help cut China's trade deficit by making Chinese exports cheaper and imports more expensive. China needs hard currency to pay off its US$40 billion foreign debt, much of which falls due over the next few years. Trade, investment and tourism have fallen since the June 4 political crackdown, leaving the government strapped for cash. As of today one US dollar will buy 4.7339 yuan, compared to only 3.37314 previously, To buy a US dollar 4.7103 yuan will be needed, up from 3.7128. It is the first devaluation in more than three years and represents a cut of 21.2 per cent on the old mid-rate of 3.72 yuan. The new rate applies mainly to foreign exchange certificates which foreigners, whether tourists or residents, are obliged to use in China. On the black market, the dollar has been trading at around 5.5 yuan. It was not immediately clear whether the devaluation would affect the swap market, a facility made avaliable to foreign traders and investors to attract business to China. That rate has tended to be closer to the black market rate. Foreign businessmen in Beijing said the devaluation could lead to higher prices in China's joint venture hotels, which import the majority of their goods, but for joint ventures in general the effect would be beneficial. However, foreign ventures that import goods for sale in China will be hard hit. The devaluation is in line with China's policy of cutting imports and will clearly make foreign goods less attractive to China's already cash-starved consumers. The news of the devaluation caused a minor spree of panic buying of imported goods yesterday evening, Shanghai residents said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Wu'er Kaixi Struggles With English, Subtleties of Leadership --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: lin@Neon.Stanford.EDU (Fangzhen Lin) Source: Associated Press, 12/17/89 By KATHY WILHELM SOMERVILLE, Mass. Of all America's wonders, nothing has impressed Wu'er Kaixi like the yellow school bus. "It's great," said the 21-year-old student, one of the spring's protest leaders in Tiananmen Square. ''When it puts on its lights, every other vehicle must stop. It shows that in America, the most important thing is the person. "In China, no one respects people." Wu'er, who was put on China's most-wanted list after the army shot its way into Beijing in June and ended the pro-democracy protests, is trying to continue the fight from half a world away. It hasn't been easy. At 1:30 a.m. one bitterly cold December night, he sat slumped in a chair in his shabby suburban Boston office, painfully practicing a speech in English. "We must remember our brothers and sisters who died during the fight for democracy in Tiananmen Square," he read, coached by a Chinese student with better command of English. His more difficult struggle, however, is mastering the subtleties of leadership, something that seemed simple enough amid the marching masses in the square. There, crowds rallied to the personal magnetism of Wu'er, a Uygur minority student at the Beijing Teachers' University. Classmates hailed him on campus as "lingxiu" - leader - and foreign journalists flocked to his tiny, ill-lit dormitory room, jammed with the bunks of eight students. Impulsive, dramatic, boastful and impassioned, Wu'er was the student most often the focus of foreign television cameras in the seven weeks of marches and hunger strikes. He seemed to recognize no authority: At a meeting of student leaders with Premier Li Peng, he even accused the premier of being rude. The cameras followed him in exile - to Paris, where he fled via Hong Kong during the long summer of arrests in China, and to Somerville. Here he heads the American office of the Front for a Democratic China, the main group formed by Chinese dissidents to continue their movement. American reporters grant him celebrity status, but some fellow Chinese resent the attention and accuse Wu'er of un-Chinese vanity. Many young Chinese abroad look to him for leadership. Older exiles, traditionally paternalistic, lecture him in public for immaturity. The Chinese-language press in the United States, financed from Taiwan and mindful of financial scandal in past exile groups, has tried to find evidence of money mishandling by Wu'er and his aides. The strain shows. In the Front's office, Wu'er looked harried as he fielded telephone requests for speeches. Three equally young volunteers dashed back and forth, asking him about the draft agenda for a Front conference. "It's harder than in Beijing," he said. "In Beijing, they tell you everything - what you can do and can't do. Here, for everything you have more than 100 choices." Wu'er is taking courses in English and Chinese literature as a non- degree student at Harvard. "It's too hard to me sometimes," he said in English learned almost entirely since June, and still far short of his needs. I understand about 30 to 50 percent of my classes." Wu'er's health has suffered. He has collapsed several times in public, most recently after a Harvard rally marking six months since the June crackdown. His closest aide, Pierre Fournier, a French student who met Wu'er in Paris, said doctors found nothing seriously ailing Wu'er but did note a rapid heartbeat. "It's nothing," said Wu'er. Peering into a mirror at his pale face and dark-shadowed eyes, he grimaced and then grinned. "I've lost weight, I'm happy." An article in the Chinese-language World Journal last month first broached the possibility of improper use of donations to the student movement. The paper said Wu'er, who receives no formal salary, accepted some donations for personal use instead of giving everything to the Front. It accused him of staying at expensive hotels and furnishing the Somerville office lavishly. Other reports said he should donate speech fees, reportedly as high as $10,000, to the Front. "Wu'er doesn't really pay attention to details. He should have been more careful," said Harvard student activist Luo Zhexi. He and other students said Wu'er was innocent of legal or moral blame and was merely inexperienced. He is now accounting for all money, they said. His office looked far from luxurious. The donated second-hand desks were deeply scratched, and volunteers wore thick sweaters in the poorly heated rooms. Wu'er has tried to ease the tension by retreating a bit. "I don't want to be a media star," he said. "That's not what we wanted in Tiananmen." +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Executive Editor: Deming Tang E_mail: tang@alisuvax.bitnet | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ ========================================================================== News Transmission chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (or) -------------------- --------------------- Local Editor: Bo Chi chi@vlsi.waterloo.edu Mon Dec 18 10:34:31 EST 1989
chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (Bo Chi) (12/18/89)
| +---------I __L__ ___- i \ ------I +----+----+ | ___\_\_ | \./ | | -----+- | | | | | __ \/ | --+-- |--- | |---| | I----+----I | I__J/\ | __|__ | | | |---| | | | _____ \ | /| \ | | | L__-| | I I---------J / J \/ | | V | _/ * C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t * (ND Canada Service) -- Dec. 18 (II), 1989 Table of Contents # of Lines 1. FCSSC Plans to Visit Taiwan ........................................ 20 2. Introduction To Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) ........... 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. FCSSC Plans to Visit Taiwan -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ND correspondent from U. M. Mr. Xiaohua Qu, the Chairman of FCSSC, is invited along with a group of mainland Chinese pro-democratic activists to attend a conference Taiwan at the end of year. The conference is scheduled on Dec.29-30, 1989 at Taipei and hosted by Taiwan's ChengChi University. About 40 scholars in Taiwan and 30 guests from North American, Europe, and Japan will attend the conference. Leading Chinese dissidents Liu BinYan, Su Shaozhi, Su Wei, Wan Runnun (from FDC), Hu Ping (Min Lian) and Mr. Liu YongChuan (chairman of Quan Mei Xue Lian), etc. are also in the list of the invited. The spokesman of FCSSC's headquarter said that the purpose of this visit is to discuss and exchange the opinions about China's political, economic, and cultural problems, to contact and com- municate with students and scholars in Taiwan. FCSSC hope such activities can promote better understanding more interaction between Chinese peoples with different background. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Introduction To Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) ----------------------------------------------------------------- What Is The CCNC ? In 1979, Chinese Canadians across the country united to pro- test the irresponsible journalism of a national televised program:"Campus Giveaway". As a result, CTV publicly apologized for the racist overtones and inaccu- racies of that particular episode. More significantly, the participants against W5(W5 is a TV program in Canada, like 60 Minutes of CBS or 20/20 of of ABC) from cities across Canada assembled and held a conference in Toronto. Out of that meeting, the importance and need of a strong, national organization became so evident that the Chinese Canadian National Council was formed. What Are The CCNC Objectives? To promote the rights of all individuals, in particular, those of Chinese Canadians and to encourage their full and equal parti- cipation in Canadian society. To create an environment in this country in which the rights of all individuals are fully recognized and protected. To promote understanding and cooperation between Chinese Cana- dians and all other ethnic, cultural and racial groups in Canada. To encourage and develop in persons of Chinese descent, a desire to know and to respect their historical and cultural heri- tage: to educate them in adopting a creative and positive atti- tude towards the Chinese Canadian contribution to society. How Does The CCNC Meet These Goals? By developing a strong national voice; encouraging new members across Canada to work with existing groups in the Chinese commun- ity; cooperating with other ethnic and cultural groups; setting up an effective national network of communication. By working in the areas of human and civil rights; monitoring the media; fighting stereotyping and institutional racism. Political awareness and participation; sponsoring all candi- dates meeting; informing the public of important issues which affect them; submissions to different levels of government; pol- itical awareness workshops; active participation in the decision-making of our government's policies. Cultural and social activities; festivals, street fairs, spe- cial events and community activities; developing a resource library; historical and cultural heritage exhibit that travels across Canada; sending out a newsletter regularly. New ideas and plans for improvement are constantly being developed. Structure: There are twenty nice local chapters and affiliates in Canada located in Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, London, Windsor, Hamilton, Moncton, Metro Toronto, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Ottawa, Sarnia, Montreal, Hali- fax, Saint John, Fredericton, Kingston, Pembroke, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador. The National Office of the CCNC is located in Toronto. The CCNC conducts its charitable and educational activities through the Chinese Canadian National Education Fund in compli- ance with the Income Tax Act. Donations received are tax credit- able. Redress Campaign In 1984, CCNC formally took up the redress issue for the Chinese Exclusion Act and Head Tax. These were two very devastat- ing and racist Canadian laws which led to tremendous hardship and the separation of families, not ending until years after the repeal of the Exclusion Act in 1947. The Redress Campaign calls upon the government of Canada to acknowledge the injustice and racism and recognize the suffering of individual Chinese Canadi- ans that resulted from this legislated discrimination. Many head- tax payers, now in their eighties or nineties, are still waiting to see justice done. The Success Of The CCNC Requires Your Help: Give some our your concern and effort towards improving and enriching the quality of life for Chinese Canadians in this coun- try. At the same time, meet others like yourself who find excite- ment, fun and satisfaction in participating in their community. Become a member and volunteer of the CCNC. For more information, contact: Jacky Pang, Executive Director or contact our National Office: CCNC 386 Bathurst Street 2nd floor Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S6 Tel.:(416)868-1777 Fax.:(416)868-1781 ----------------------------------------------------------------- (received November 6, 1989) Supplied by Chow-ying Wong (CCNC coordinator) Note: CCNC, with Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), has been carrying on "The National Emergency Support for Chinese Students" financed by Canadian International Development Agency. ================================================================== News Transmission chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (or) -------------------- --------------------- Local Editor: Bo Chi chi@vlsi.waterloo.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------ Mon Dec 18 13:04:07 EST 1989