Subject: HQ NR-4056 Think Ahead

From: IFCSS HQ <ifcss>
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 20:07:31 -0400

**************************************************************
IFCSS Headquarters News Release No. 4056      October 9, 1992
                    THINK AHEAD
**************************************************************
Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS)
   733 15th Street, N.W., Suite 440, Washington, D.C.20005
         Tel. (202)347-0017  Fax: (202)347-0018
                Email: [email-masked]

                    Think Ahead
                    ===========

     Upon hearing the good news this morning (Friday), IFCSS HQ
staff Qingsong Zhang and Heping Shi invited to lunch IFCSS legal
advisors Burton Wides, Laura Reiff, and John Mitchell. Another
legal advisor, Elaine Budd, was out of town. Also at the lunch were
Jinghong Li, chairman of IFCSS Council, and Haiqing Zhao, chairman
of IFCSS Student Affairs Committee.

      After warmly congratulating one another, the IFCSS officers
and the lawyers engaged themselves in a serious discussion of what
to do next. It was agreed that no matter who wins the presidential
election, there is still a great deal left to be done. One
possibility is that there will be efforts to promote the president
to certify that students are safe to return. In fact, some related
agency has already started gathering data on students who have
returned to China. Even in the case that the president does not
certify that human rights situation has significantly improved,
there will still be complications regarding the implementation of
the Act. For instance, INS may well come up with a set of
regulations which are not satisfactory from our point of view.
Based on considerations along this line, some tentative strategies
were discussed.

     First, IFCSS should monitor closely the human rights situation
in China and systematically collect data on human rights
violations, particularly those involving overseas students and
their family members. The findings shall be put in the form of a
series of reports and sent to the White House and the State
Department. Second, IFCSS should be alert to any effort that might
lead to institution of a screening process. Third, IFCSS should use
its resources to positively influence the implementation of the
Act.

     Finally, the legal advisors suggested, and all the present
IFCSS officers agreed, that letters of thanks be sent to those news
editors who have helped us with favorable commentaries and reports
in the final week and whose assistance will remain essential to our
future operation.

***************************************************************
         IFCSS Headquarters Office    Signature
***************************************************************