‘NAIVE’:：Saying China couldn’t even protect the human rights of its own people, let alone Taiwanese, the exile pointed to Hong Kong’s rejection of his visa as evidence

Published on Taipei Times,Jan 28, 2011

By Ko Shu-ling  /  Staff reporter

Exiled Chinese dissident Wang Dan (王丹) yesterday urged Taipei and Beijing to negotiate on human rights before the two sides rush into political talks.

“I think the Taiwanese people can learn a lesson from me,” he said, referring to Hong Kong’s rejection on Wednesday of his request to travel to the territory to attend the funeral of a veteran pro-democracy activist this week. “If the Chinese government cannot protect the human rights of its own people, how can we expect it to safeguard the human rights of the Taiwanese people?”

Another exiled student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrators, Wuer Kaixi (吾爾開希), said Taiwan has a lot to bargain for when it comes to political negotiations with China.

“However, the current administration seems afraid of playing its trump cards, such as freedom, democracy and human rights, and turns a blind eye to the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP],” he said, adding that while he did not have any evidence to prove that the CCP played any role in the regression of human rights in Taiwan or that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was selling out Taiwan, he and Wang were very worried.

Wang and Wuer Kaixi made the remarks at a joint press conference in Taipei after Hong Kong rejected the joint request of the two to attend the memorial for former Hong Kong lawmaker Szeto Wah (司徒華).

Szeto, who died on Jan. 2 aged 79 after a battle with lung cancer, was a leading light of the overseas pro-democracy movement pushing for reform in China.

Wang said he had been “too naive” in believing that Hong Kong would have granted their request.

Emphasizing that Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” model was dead, Wang said he thought he had a chance to visit the territory, given the support of Chinese netizens and Hong Kong media.

“The messages the Hong Kong government sent out were quite optimistic, but little did I know that those signals were entirely wrong,” he said. “I think I should learn a lesson from it too and that I must not be too naive.”

Wuer Kaixi said the Hong Kong government’s decision was not surprising, but the result did not make any sense.

“I was fully prepared for such an outcome,” he said. “Absurdity happens in the CCP on a daily basis, so people get used to it, but it should not be taken for granted.”

Wuer Kaixi said the Hong Kong government’s rejection of their application was a show of disrespect to the dead and disrespect for the territory’s public opinion.

“Uncle Wah was a democratic activist, but other pro-democracy activists cannot pay their respects to him,” he said. “It is a serious matter, because it runs counter to the autonomy and freedom of the territory.”

Despite the refusal, Wang said they had not given up hope entirely. They are still negotiating with the organizer to see whether they can participate in an “appropriate manner.” Possibilities include video conferencing or recorded video.

While no reason was given for the denial of their request, Wang said he was certain it was because of the role they played in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and their democracy activism.

Emphasizing that their planned trip was not politically motivated, Wang said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) killed many CCP members during the Chinese Civil War, yet former KMT chairmen can visit China.

“We just expressed different views from the government, but we cannot even pay tribute to an elder in Hong Kong,” he said. “It is clear that the CCP does not think a killer is the most hideous enemy, but democracy is.”

Wang said the more Beijing obstructed his efforts to return home, the more determined he was, adding that he firmly believed democracy would eventually prevail.

Wuer Kaixi dismissed allegations that he broke a promise he made to keep a low profile when he traveled to Hong Kong in 2004 to attend the funeral of musician and entertainer Anita Mui (梅艷芳), saying he neither met any Hong Kong official during the stay nor reached any agreement.

He said he hoped any decision the Hong Kong government makes in the future would be based on the well-being of its people rather than Beijing’s preferences.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/01/28/2003494627