Posted on 04/20/2006 4:43:09 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
A HECKLER from the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who entered White House grounds as a reporter, interrupted a formal arrival ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao today, prompting President George W. Bush to apologise to his guest.
After being welcomed by Mr Bush, the Chinese president was just beginning his response when a woman, who had been allowed into the press section, started shouting.
She was escorted away by a uniformed US guard.
"President Hu, your days are numbered. President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong," the woman yelled.
US officials later identified her as Wang Wenyi, 47, a reporter with The Epoch Times, an English-language publication strongly supportive of the meditation movement that is banned in China.
"This was unfortunate and I'm sorry this happened," Mr Bush told Mr Hu, according to Dennis Wilder, a senior official with the National Security Council.
The Secret Service charged Ms Wang with disorderly conduct under local statutes.
The US Attorney's office was weighing federal charges of "willing intimidation or disruption of a foreign official", said Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren.
Outside the White House, hundreds of yellow-clad Falun Gong disciples, Taiwanese nationalists, and Tibetan youth group members demonstrated against Mr Hu and his government.
The protesters denounced China's human rights record, its missile build-up near Taiwan and its 55-year-long rule over the Himalayan Buddhist region of Tibet.
"Communist Party = Tyranny + Lies", read a yellow banner, carried by one female member of Falun Gong, which China outlawed and brutally crushed in 1999.
"Taiwan is not a part of China," read a placard hoisted by one of around 300 Taiwan activists, who reject China's claim of sovereignty over the island. Tibetans, mostly US-based students, called for independence for their homeland.
A US official said Mr Hu's team was probably offended by the incident.
"The hardliners on Hu's team are going to ask, why did it take so long for us to pick her up. It is not a good thing," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Mr Zahren of the Secret Service said the woman had passed through "all appropriate levels of security", including a metal detector. She was allowed into the event under a temporary press pass.
Falun Gong, which thrives overseas despite being largely stamped out in China, alleges that government persecution of the group includes a vast system of concentration camps, where doctors harvest inmates' organs for transplants.
China has vehemently denied this, but a UN investigator is examining the allegation.
In remarks at Mr Hu's arrival ceremony, Mr Bush did not mention Falun Gong, but he said he would discuss human rights.
He urged Mr Hu to allow "the Chinese people the freedom to assemble, to speak freely and to worship".
Yo! Genuis. Listen up. I RELISH this President every day.
(In case your mystified by my response, "relish" means greatly enjoy.)
Perhaps I should just let you to debate yourself.
When you figure out who you are, get back to me.
If we are for freedom, we are supposed to work to overthrow horrid regimes like the one governing China, not coddle and be polite to them. If GWB couldn't bring himself to praise the free speech of a heckler as he has done in the past, he should have just said nothing about the incident. No apology to the ChiComs, who we should be staring down so they know we mean business. I hope GWB tells those jerks they had better stop helping Iran go nuclear.
Apoligize? Why should President Bush apolgize to the leader of a tyrannical empire that we have free speech? Why didn't President Bush just order a tank to run over the Falun Gong woman?
For a Pastor, you certainly have an interesting perspective on things.
I've been watching your comments on this thread and frankly, you have a very immature view of getting along with others...even those who we deeply disagree with.
Bush has a lot more courage than 90% of all the people in this world. It doesn't take any courage whatsoever to make enemies. It takes enormous courage to make progress.
I agree.
There's a time and a place. It was neither the time, nor the place.
Don't drag Barney and Miss Beazley into this.
Russia+Kazakhstan+belarus=USSR
USSR+China+Baddies in region (vietnam, laos, burma)=Bad news
USSR+China+baddies in region+Latin American Communist Bloc= Really bad news.
I'm sure they'll be really surprised to hear this news......you are so much smarter than the rest of us.
Hu's the President?
Reagan had Chinese leaders to the White House as well. With drums and bugles.
You Bush-haters have selective memories. Must be those pin heads.
No sir, with all due respect. What is happening to her are the natural consequences of pretending to be a press person, and instead being an activist.
She may have done what was morally right in the situation, but she entered the premises on false pretenses—and SHOULD be charged as a result. Those are two different issues.
What's the name of the President of China?
Not to pick on you...but you do realize of course that conservatives were really, really ticked off at President Reagan for negotiating with the USSR during his second term, right?
Why apologize? It just shows what freedom of speech is...we don't smush people for their point of views.
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