+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ===================== Europe / Pacific Section (CND-EP) ===================== March 31, 1990 ---------------------------- Table of Contents --------------------------- No. Subject # of Lines 1. Warning Against Visiting Tian-An-Men Square Issued....................7 2. Czech, Beijing And Taiwan - Triangle Relation........................20 3. World Record Service Charge In Mainland China's Bank.................15 4. Mails From/To Mainland China Are Censored............................15 5. News Abstracts Of This Week (Seven Pieces)...........................80 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- **** To contact CND-EP, see the table at the end of this news package **** 1. Warning Against Visiting Tian-An-Men Square Issued ===================================================================(7 lines) >From: Source: National Public Radio (3/30/90) The communist government in Beijing issued a warning against visiting Tiananmen Square this weekend. Near the traditional Chinese memorial day Qing Ming, this would be an emotional day for friends and relatives of hundreds of victims died in last June's massacre. The security forces were already mobilized to prevent any spontaneous protest on the memorial day, which is also the first anniversary of the beginning of last year's crushed democracy movement. =========================================================================== 2. Czech, Beijing And Taiwan --- Triangle Relation =================================================================(20 lines) From: rzhu@violet.waterloo.edu (posted for a CND reader in Sweden) Source: soc.culture.china TIME No. 13, March 26, 1990 by Edward G. Chua-Eoan Czechmating Beijing =================== When Vaclav Havel, the President of Czechoslovakia, met in early February with one of Beijing's political foes, the exiled Dalai Lama of Tibet, why did the Chinese government fail to protest? And why did Beijing remain silent when Havel allowed Chinese dissidents to sign a "Declaration of Prague," with the head of the Czechoslovakian Student Union calling for global support for China's suppressed democracy movement? Last week a Czechoslovak diplomat provided an explanation. On learning of the Dalai Lama's visit to Prague, he said, Beijing was on the verge of criticizing Havel publicly when it learned that a Taiwan trade delegation was in Prague, apparently waiting with checkbook in hand to exploit an anticipated breach in Sino-Czechoslovak diplomatic relations. Realizing that Taipei was prepared to pay big money to lure Czechoslovakia away from Beijing, the mainlanders stiffed their protest. Concluded the diplomat: "Taiwan is responsible for saving our relations with China." ============================================================================ 3. World Record Service Charge In Mainland China's Bank ==================================================================(15 lines) From: taotao@civil.watstar.waterloo.edu Source: CND-Canada The Chinese Government is now encouraging everybody in China to "Learn from Lei Feng". Here is an example how a Chinese bank car- ries out this campaign. In the end of last year, I sent a US$100.00 cheque to an old couple in Xiangtan, Hunan, to wish them having a happy new year. They deposited the cheque at one of branches of the China's Industrial and Commernce Bank. Three months later they received a notice from the bank telling them that US$26.41 had been charged for the so-called bank service, a record service charge which can only be created by a greedy bank. Chinese Government has long been in debt, but it would not be rich by stealing the money from its own senior citizens. =========================================================================== 4. Mails From/To Mainland China Are Censored =================================================================(15 lines) From: A Chinese student in US. Source: CND-Canada I came to USA for PhD from PRC last Aug.. I communicate with my family almost one mail / week. Unfoutunately, up to now, I've got four broken letters . The first three were wrapped by plastic bags or tied by thread, so that most things inside were kept. The last one was broken with two sides of envelope open and only one xerox copy of parer left, the letter and some other paper had lost. My family told me that my letter dated on 26 Feb. was also broken and wrapped in a plastic bag by Guangzhou On 22 Mar., my family hadn't got my mails sent on 3, 11, Mar. yet. I feel very sad. I am worrying whether there is gaurentte of our private communicating freedom. I know it is a very common problem in recent months. ============================================================================= 5. News Abstracts Of This Week (Seven Pieces) ===================================================================(80 lines) 1) 229 Schools World-Wide Signed The Open Letter ------------------------------------------------ CND-EP editor's note: The open letter is to protest the China's new policy for studying abroad, please contact the Independent Federation of Chinese Student & Scholar in the US (IFCSS) at the e-address given below to sign your school's name. See 1st issue of CND-EP for details. >From: Ya Liu 229 schools and research institutions have signed the open letter, among them there are 209 fron U.S. and 20 from Canada, England, Belgium, Australia and Sweden. We have cantact with the "World Journal" and bought a whole page advertisement to publish the signature. Please keep an eye on the recent newspapers. If you can not find yous school's signature please call your local Chinese student Asscociation and urge them to sign. Please also spread the open letter to your friends. From: kwchan@csd.hku.hk 2) Students ignore politics of NPC ---------------------------------- Beijing: While thousands of delegates to China's parliament, meet for their annual session this week, college students in the outskirts of the capital are virtually oblivious to the proceedings. "We haven't read a paper in months," said one, who confessed he had no idea what Premier Li Peng said in his state of the nation address at the opening of the National People's Congress. "Nothing will change in China until the leaders die," said one student. "We're just killing time," one said. 3) Deng's son cancels India tour -------------------------------- Mr Deng Pufang, son of China's senior leader, Mr Deng Xiaoping, and head of a national association for the handicapped, has cut short a foreign tour because of sudden illness while in Pakistan, diplomats said yesterday. The younger Deng fell ill on an official visit to Pakistan last week and cancelled plans to travel on to India, Bangladesh and Thailand, the diplomats said. A Pakistan embassy official said Mr Deng had returned to Beijing after treatment in a Lahore hospital. Another Asian diplomat said he was still in hospital in Pakistan and in a serious condition. 4) Warning of disruption of Asian Games --------------------------------------- Beijing's hard-line communist leaders warned of potential unrest ahead of the Asian Games this September and vowed to crush any opposition. The official Beijing Daily yesterday quoted Mr Li Ximing, Communist Party chief of the Chinese capital, as telling a meeting of municipal government and party officials that they must remain vigilant. 5) Region rocked by secessionists --------------------------------- A senior Chinese official has admitted that the Xinjiang Autonomous Region has been rocked by underground secessionist activities, and that one key "splittist" organisation has links with the Taiwan-based Kuomintang. The Xinjiang chairman, Mr Tomur Dawamat, pointed out that underground elements, mostly young people of Han and minority-ethnic origins, have stepped up their campaign against the central Government. "They [the secessionists] are masterminding reactionary posters and slogans," Mr Tomur told reporters covering the National People's Congres (NPC) in Beijing. 6) China warns again on passports plan -------------------------------------- A senior Chinese official has reiterated that Beijing will not recognise the British passports of those Hongkong residents who will benefit from the special nationality package granted by Britain. "They will have to use valid travel documents recognised by the SAR government such as the SAR passports," Mr Li said. And when they go to the mainland, these SAR residents would have to use the standard home visit permits. 7) Wuer Kaixi Will Visit Taiwan ------------------------------- >From: Source: Voice of Free China (3/30/90) Mainland student leader Wuer Kaixi will visit Taiwan. His application of entering Taiwan was approved by the ROC government along with those of four other mainland students. Wuer expressed his interest in visiting the island when he was still in the US last month. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Editor/Sender of this Issue: Bo Xiong at Chicago, U. S. A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Last CND-EP news package sent out on March 25, 1990 | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | To subscribe/unsubscribe, send contribution/comment and report problem, | | send e-mail to: | | yawei@silver.ucs.indiana.edu OR gxu@kentvm.bitnet | | OR iuvax!silver!yawei@uunet.uu.net | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+