30-8EF-1990
15:30
POLITICAL ADVISER'S OFF.
852 804 6732
F.07
relocation On reading this news in the USA, I phoned up my friend Qian Yumin in Beijing fund 11.00 PM Beijing time; Qian was a standing committee member on the forme BWAF.) First of all, we paid our customary greetings to the 'third party whom we knew would be listening to the call. Then I asked whether Qian had heard the news. He replied that he knew nothing, so I told him about the report of the strike and we discussed whether or not it might be true. As people concerned about Chinese workers' rights, we felt that we should look into the matter, and, if it were true, seek further information and if necessary also try to provide some legal assistance. Workers aren't always familiar with the relevant laws, and in such situations hot tempers can often lead to violations of the law occurring. And when that happens, it's the workers themselves who suffer. It's vital that any proper actions in support of workers' rights should not be allowed to degenerate into illegality of any kind.
Finally, we decided that Qian would go to the factory the next day, but that he would not raise the question of the right to form labor unions, and instead would only talk to them about the law, about rights and responsibilities. If the workers wanted our assistance, and provided no illegality was involved, then we would help them as much as we could. If they didn't want any outside involvement, we would merely stay and observe. Qian and I agreed to talk on the phone again the next day, said a polite goodbye to the 'third party' on the line. and then hung up. The next day, however, I couldn't reach Qian at all, so I called up another friend, Zhou Guoqiang. (Zhou was detained for a while in April this year for providing legal assistance to striking taxi drivers in Beijing). He said that several police had gone to Qian Yumin's house that morning and prevented him from going to the factory. Zhou himself then went there, only to find that the workers' strike had already been broken up by the police.
As the 'third party' doubtlessly noted down, our whole involvement in the "strike incident" amounted to nothing more than this.
5) "Han...actively conspired with illegal organisations inside China, providing them with operating funds, directing their activities from afar, creating rumors, instigating disturbances and repeatedly claiming that he wanted to return to lead these illegal organisations. Such behaviour threatened state security, seriously harmed the national interest and damaged China's international reputation."
-
Whether inside China or while I was abroad, I have never had any contact whatever with any illegal organisations inside the country. Nor do I have any idea of what the allegation of "providing them with operating funds, directing their activities from afar, creating rumors [and] instigating disturbances" refers to. I do not even know what the illegal organisations are that I would supposedly lead upon my return to China, nor why such organizations would want to have a person such as myself who advocates open and lawful forms of activity to be their leader. Perhaps the government would be kind enough to tell me the names of these groups, their membership sizes and also how I might get in contact with them? I would certainly welcome the opportunity to talk to them, so that I could explain to them the many advantages of the open and lawful mode of [labor organizing] work. In this way, we might avoid having citizens who are concerned about China's national affairs, once again having to endure, on account
-
6
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.