Posted on 07/21/2004 12:33:44 PM PDT by HAL9000
TOKYO - Former world chess champion Bobby Fischer has appealed Japanese plans to deport him to the United States and hopes to find political asylum in a third country, a friends said Wednesday.Fischer was detained by Japanese immigration officials last week after trying to leave the country for the Philippines. Officials say his passport was invalid, and on Tuesday confirmed that he was being processed for deportation.
Fischer is wanted in the United States for playing a rematch against Soviet world champion Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992. Yugoslavia was under international sanctions at the time, and U.S. citizens were banned from doing business there.
Fischer won the match and more than $3 million in prize money.
Fischer rocketed to fame in the United States at the height of the Cold War when he defeated Spassky in a series of games in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1972.
His genius for chess was quickly overshadowed by his eccentric behavior, however. He lost his title as world champion in 1978 and then largely vanished from the public eye.
After visiting Fischer in custody at Tokyo's Narita Airport, Miyoko Watai, of the Japan Chess Association, said Wednesday Fischer was appealing the deportation.
Watai, a longtime friend of Fischer's, said he was also hoping to find political asylum in a third country. She refused to provide any further details, however.
"There is no other way," she said. "Otherwise, he will be sent back to the United States."
Watai said Fischer is now looking for a lawyer. She said he was "a pathetic sight" in custody, but refused to disclose what else they discussed during their 30-minute meeting.
Immigration officials have refused to comment on Fischer's case, other than to confirm he was taken into custody and faces deportation. When that might happen remains unclear. Requests by The Associated Press to meet with Fischer have been denied.
"It is a race against time," Watai said. "We are fighting this from morning to night."
Try North Korea.
I would hope that we would have better use for government resources than prosecuting a kook who poses no harm to anyone and whose "crime" consisted of playing chess in Yugoslavia 12 years ago.
Maybe Al Qaeda would like to talk to Bobby boy, he is after all an ANTI-SEMITE!!
Would agree to a degree. It's worth keeping up the threat, though, just to make sure he doesn't come back.
This HAS to be a joke??
Isn't it? I hope!
So is chess now on the possible terrorist action list? Get this menace off our streets. His rook just might take our pawns. Him and Martha could get together and come up with a designer board game.
Pray they keep him.......out of the US
Anyone who knowingly violated U.S. trade sanctions against North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Cuba, Yugoslavia, the Taliban, etc., is in violation of the law and should be dealt with accordingly.
Put him on trial right after Saddam. These traitors must be punished... yawn.... Just wait and see how many people post that we must respect the law... yawn...
I agree. Fischer and Stewart are clearly public enemies one and two. Who knows how many people will be emboldened to play chess in Yugoslavia or publicly maintain their innocence (one of the "crimes" Stewart was charged with) if these two desperadoes go free?
>>>" we would have better use for government resources than prosecuting a kook who poses no harm to anyone and whose "crime" consisted of playing chess in Yugoslavia 12 years ago"
Ditto.
This is a no-win issue during the election.
The Bush administration should let him pay back taxes and return to US. This allows the administration to move back to Berger's socks filled with confidential records... drip... drip... drip...
Hoppy
Fischer's talking points never vary.
Bobby Fischer is being persecuted by world Jewry.
The United States government is a "brutal, evil dictatorship" that has falsely accused Bobby Fischer of a crime and forced him to live in exile.
Bobby Fischer has been swindled out of a "vast fortune" in royalties by book publishers, movie studios, and clock manufacturers (yes, clock manufacturers), who have brazenly pilfered his brand name, patents, and copyrights.
The Jews are a "filthy, lying bastard people" bent on world domination through such insidious schemes as the Holocaust ("a money-making invention"), the mass murder of Christian children ("their blood is used for black-magic ceremonies"), and junk food (William Rosenberg, the founder of Dunkin' Donuts, is singled out as a culprit).
Uh, let's let this loony emigrate to any country that'll promise to keep him the rest of his natural days.
Anyone who knowingly violated U.S. trade sanctions against North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Cuba, Yugoslavia, the Taliban, etc., is in violation of the law and should be dealt with accordingly.
The USA has NO MORAL AUTHORITY for anything of the kind until they go after the real criminals!
After they prosecute, teddie kennedy, bill clinton, any of those criminals that just came back from Cuba AGAIN!, all the black caucus criminal communists, et al.
THEN they would have some "MORAL AUTHORITY" to go after Bobby Fisher.
I was just trying to be funny. But come to think of it, he's more likely to live off welfare and cause our taxes to go up.
I hope Bobby Fischer uses that defense in his trial. The jurors will return a guilty verdict in record time.
Tons more rich editorial dialogue on other related posts - try searching for "Bobby Fischer" (and I don't mean like the movie - we know where he is now, jailed in Japan).
so petty
as if we don't have enough criminals to prosecute and put away.....
honestly....
Anyone know why the Spassky tournament HAD to be in Yugoslavia?
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