Macau denies entry to Tiananmen protest leader

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 5:18 AM Posted by Beijing News


HONG KONG – The second most-wanted student leader from the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests says he has been denied him entry to the southern Chinese territory of Macau, a day before the 20th anniversary of China's crackdown.

Wu'er Kaixi told The Associated Press by phone that he traveled to Macau to turn himself in to authorities. But immigration officials at Macau's airport first took him to a room after he arrived from Taipei

He later told Hong Kong's Cable TV that the officials wanted to deport him on the next flight back to Taipei, but that he will fight the decision.

"I said explicitly I won't obey their decision," Wu'er said.

Macau government information officer Elena Au said she didn't have immediate information on Wu'er's case.

One of the best known leaders from the Tiananmen student movement, Wu'er rose to fame as a pajama-clad hunger striker haranguing then-Chinese premier Li Peng at a televised meeting during the protests in Beijing.

Named No. 2 on the Chinese government's list of 21 wanted student leaders after the military crushed the protests, he escaped and has lived in exile in the self-ruled island of Taiwan, where he has worked as a businessman and political commentator.

Wu'er said separately in a statement issued by a friend that he wants to turn himself in to the Chinese government so he can see his parents — who haven't been allowed to visit him in Taiwan — and believes he did nothing wrong.

"My turning myself in should not be interpreted as my admission that my behavior 20 years ago in illegal and wrong. I want to reassert here the Chinese government bears complete and undeniable moral, political and legal responsibility for the tragedy that happened in China in 1989," Wu'er wrote.

"I hope, 20 years later, the Chinese government can set a new position on the historical problem of the 'June 4 massacre," admit its guilt and apologize to the Chinese people," he said.







A Siberian tiger cub is seen with its mother at a zoo in China. REUTERS/China Daily

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