Two leaders of China’s 1989 Tiananmen protests have urged Hong Kong to let them attend the funeral of democracy icon Szeto Wah (司徒華), arguing it would be inhumane not to do so.
Szeto, a long-time legislator who helped many student leaders escape China following the 1989 crackdown by the Chinese military, died on Sunday from lung cancer at age 79.
Wang Dan (王丹), who teaches at a university in Taiwan, and Wuer Kaixi (吾爾開希), another prominent Tiananmen activist also based in Taiwan, said they fear being denied entry to the former British colony, which maintains semi-autonomous status within China.
Wang said yesterday an online petition supporting his bid to attend Szeto’s memorial had garnered more than 3,000 signatures.
“As long as they allow me entry to Hong Kong, I am willing to cooperate with the Hong Kong government’s requests,” Wang said in posts this week on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.
He called Szeto “the person I respect most on the face of the earth.”
“I am willing to not see -reporters, not hold press conferences and not participate in any public events. As long as I can [pay my respects], I can agree to any of the above conditions. If they refuse this, I can only say the Hong Kong government is too inhumane,” he said.
Szeto was best known for founding the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which routinely criticized Beijing for -human-rights abuses and pushed for political reforms in Hong Kong.
Critics argue that Hong Kong and nearby Macau routinely turn back people deemed unwelcome by Beijing.
Wuer Kaixi said he had been denied entry to Hong Kong “countless times,” including a request several weeks ago to visit the terminally ill Szeto.
“Allowing me entry will not have a negative effect on Hong Kong,” he said.
In a statement, Hong Kong’s immigration department said it would make any decision based on “all relevant factors and circumstances.”
The memorial is scheduled for late this month.
The Alliance Szeto founded dedicated itself to helping victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of demonstrators.
Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人), a legislator and Hong Kong activist, said he had asked for a meeting with Hong Kong officials to green-light the pair’s visit.
“I’m sure they are banned from entering Hong Kong,” he said. “We’re asking for a government agreement to let them come.”
Nauru has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island in the Pacific Ocean. Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “Golden Passports.” Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” program. Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications — covering two families and four individuals. Despite the slow start —
YELLOW SHIRTS: Many protesters were associated with pro-royalist groups that had previously supported the ouster of Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin, in 2006 Protesters rallied on Saturday in the Thai capital to demand the resignation of court-suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and in support of the armed forces following a violent border dispute with Cambodia that killed more than three dozen people and displaced more than 260,000. Gathered at Bangkok’s Victory Monument despite soaring temperatures, many sang patriotic songs and listened to speeches denouncing Paetongtarn and her father, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and voiced their backing of the country’s army, which has always retained substantial power in the Southeast Asian country. Police said there were about 2,000 protesters by mid-afternoon, although
MOGAMI-CLASS FRIGATES: The deal is a ‘big step toward elevating national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,’ a Japanese official said Australia is to upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday. Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia is to pay US$6 billion over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China. It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade. “This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever
DEADLY TASTE TEST: Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband three times, police said in one of the major claims not heard during her initial trial Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired yesterday after a suppression order lapsed. Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behavior in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale yesterday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret. Patterson tried to kill her
RSS