From: ping@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Shiping Zhang)
Subject: Re: What Should We Do To Help Shen Tong?
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 19:21:11 GMT

In article <2SEP199216301944@phobos.ucc.umass.edu> s9874194@phobos.ucc.umass.edu (s9874194) writes:
>In article <BtyHpK.69y@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, xlli@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (xiao-lin li) writes...
>> 
>>Is Shen Tong guilty? I think he is not. How about you?
>> 
>>How to explain his arrest? What can we do to help him?
>> 
>>If Shen Tong is guilty for organizing Democratic Fund
>>in Beijing and that is guilty, what about LYH in American?
>>They are serving the communist government to do propaganda
>>too. Should LYH leaders be arrested because of that?
>> 
>>It casts a real doubt about the Chinese government on their
>>recent leniency gesture to the oversea Chinese students
>>and community. 
>> 
>>Can we have some discussion about the difference between
>>Shen Tong's activity and the activities of LYH in American.
>>We must have some logical and equal basis in order to justify
>>that help to Shen Tong is legitimate. In the meanwhile,
>>if Shen Tong is still held, we can lobby the local community
>>to revenge by "arresting" these LYH leaders.
>> 
>>If LYH leaders believe they have their right to do what
>>they want to do in America, they should also help to rescue
>>Shen Tong and others.
>> 
>>Xiao Li
>
>Hello, Xiao Li.
>
>The answer to your first question is that I do not believe Shen is
>guilty according to the moral standard we are standing on. However,
>according to the constitution of China, "counterrevolution propaganda"
>is a crime. But accordingto the law in the US, communist propaganda
>is not a crime. So, in pure legalistic term, Chinese government does
>have the authority to arrest Shen while American government can do
>to stop anyone for communist propaganda. (Please, this is based on
>purely legalistic term, not saying I agree with the arrest.)

  What charge the CCP government put on Shen which falls in
  the criterion of "counterrevolution propaganda"?  Do you think
  the US government could arrest you, me, anyone if the US
  constitution defined "communist propaganda" as a crime?

>Shen's returning home happened just around the publishing of the 
>"State Council Document 44". It is very very embarrassing for the
>government. I believed that if Shen was just visit home quietly
>without any "counterrevolutionary activity", he probably would
>be all right. (This is just my GUESS.) That is why the government
>waited about a month and finally arrest him before the scheduled
>news conference. (according to the news sources in the US) The govern-
>ment could still well say that unless you still involved in 
>"counterrevolutionary activity", you will be safe and freely
>go back home and coming to the US. And I believe it will still be the
>case for most of the CSS.

  The CCP government can ALWAYS say WHATEVER it likes to say.

>Now the question is how we could help Shen. It is very tricky. 
>If the pressure is too hard, it may back fire and the hardliners
>may grasp it as a "Jiu4 Ming4 Dao4 Cao3". If we do not put any
>pressure, then we will be apathy and helpless. IFCSS just issued
>a statement I think was about right. Requesting Shen's safe return
>to the US would not be too much for the government. I guess that
>this would be the best solution. I personally do not have any
>better idea. If somebody in this group knows anybody in the CCP
>HQ, please tell them that by issuing an anouncment to "condemn"
>what Shen did while he was in China and "condone" him so he could
>coming back the US to continue his study would be a better solution
>to save face and effectively through the problem out.

  The CCP government only takes advices/orders from foreigners, unless
  you were Mao or Deng, who seem post often recently. :-)

>BTW, forgive me if you think I am stupid but can you explain to me
>what LYH stands for? Thank you very much.

  Probably you already know by now, but LYH stands for Lian Yi Hui
  (Chinese Student Union, also a liaison between embassy/consulate
  and students).

>c.q.

-ping

Newsgroups: soc.culture.china