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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: ifcss@wam.umd.edu


An Open Letter to Prime Minister John Major
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08/19/93

The Honorable John Major
Prime Minister of United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland

C/O His Excellency Sir Robin Renwick
3100 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20008

Dear Prime Minister:

On behalf of the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars in the U.S.A.(IFCSS) and the Global Federation of Chinese Student Organizations (GFCSO), I am writing you to express my deep regret over the unfair treatment of Mr. Yongchuan Liu, first president of the above-mentioned organizations and now a research fellow at Stanford University.

On August 13, Mr. Liu arrived in Hong Kong on a personal trip with a valid visa. He was stopped by the customs officers, who showed him a two-page computer printout which recorded his involvement in IFCSS and GFCSO. Later he was questioned by an officer named Li, who asked if this trip was related to political activities. When Mr. Liu made it clear that it was strictly a personal trip, he was told that his problem was complicated and that he had to be detained for further instructions. Mr. Liu was not released until 12 hours later.

This incident reminded me of an event in 1991, when Chinese student delegates to the 2nd GFCSO Congress were denied entrance to Hong Kong despite that they had valid visas. The Congress was forced to change site.

Both IFCSS and GFCSO are properly registered Chinese student organizations with broad bases. IFCSS alone boasts over 100 chapters while GFCSO is the only worldwide Chinese student organization. Founded in the wake of "June 4th Massacre," the two organizations take as their goal to promote democracy and human rights in China. In the past years, the two organizations have worked closely with the governments in democratic countries and made significant contributions to China's progress, one of their recent efforts being to secure medical treatment for Mr. Wang Juntao, a well-known political prisoner accused of masterminding the 1989 democracy movement.

IFCSS and GFCSO have also been strongly supportive of Hong Kong's democratization. On November 12, 1992, Xiao Geng, 4th president of IFCSS and GFCSO, sent a letter to Governor Patten to express his strong support for the governor's proposal for political reform and sharply criticized the Chinese government for lack of sincerity in working out a solution to the best interests of the Hong Kong people.

Given our commitment to democracy in Hong Kong as well as in China, my fellow students and I felt betrayed by the unfair treatment of Mr. Liu Yongchuan. The fact that the Hong Kong government keeps a blacklist of prodemocracy students similar to that kept by the Chinese government is extremely disappointing. Such cowardly behavior not only discredits the claims of the British government regarding Hong Kong's future, but it brings disgrace to a people who once heroically stood up against fascist aggression. When a government does not have enough courage to let in a student on a personal trip simply because he once protested against the massacre, how can it be expected to protect millions of Hong Kong people? We cannot help but ask: Is the British government serious about political reforms in Hong Kong?

I am looking forward to hearing your explanation.


Changsheng Lin


President
IFCSS, GFCSO


cc.

President William J. Clinton
Governor Christopher Patten
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International

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