Posted on 01/08/2002 6:41:52 PM PST by super175
China warned the United States last night not to interfere in its legal affairs after President George W. Bush expressed deep concern over the fate of a Hong Kong man facing the death penalty for allegedly smuggling Bibles into the mainland.
US administration officials said Mr Bush had asked the State Department to make urgent inquiries into the plight of businessman Lai Kwong-keung, who may be tried as early as Saturday. A formal protest to Beijing is being considered.
The US Consulate in Hong Kong contacted a friend of Lai's yesterday and asked him to follow up the case with Lai's wife on the mainland and his sister in the SAR.
Lai, 38, was arrested on May 31 in Fujian with two mainlanders - Yu Zhudi and Lin Xifu, both 42 - while allegedly transporting 16,280 Bibles from Shenzhen to an underground Christian group called the "Shouters" in Fuqing city. The three have been charged with "using a cult to undermine enforcement of the law".
Lai has also been accused of arranging to have 16,800 Bibles smuggled on April 1 from Hong Kong to Fuqing via Shenzhen.
Yu and Lin are alleged to be members of the Shouters group, which has 500,000 followers.
US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: "The President is deeply concerned . . . We call upon China as a member of the international community to meet international standards on the freedom of religious expression and freedom of conscience."
US concerns have so far been communicated to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, though not at an ambassadorial level.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said yesterday that no country should interfere with China's judicial affairs.
"Actually, it's not a case of smuggling Bibles. The Bibles were used as a pretext. They smuggled a large amount of cult publications," he said. "It's being dealt with according to the law."
The Public Security Ministry issued a document in 1996 listing the Shouters as a banned cult. The anti-cult law used to charge Lai was adopted in 1999 as part of a crackdown on Falun Gong. Lai is believed to be the first Hong Kong man charged under the law.
A friend said Lai was not a member of the Shouters and was only helping the delivery on behalf of another Christian group, the Living Stream Ministry, based in Anaheim, California.
Lai's wife, who insists her husband is innocent, said: "How could the Bible, which is circulated and recognised worldwide, be cult material?"
The director of the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Frank Lu Siqing, said Lai's case showed that Beijing's claims of increased religious freedom on the mainland were false.
Lai's sister has sent a petition to Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and Premier Zhu Rongji. Mr Tung's office said it had passed the letter to the Security Bureau, which said it had been following up Lai's case.
The associate director of Chinese University's Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Professor Lau Siu-kai, said Mr Bush's comments would add to the pressure on Beijing.
"I think the mainland will act prudently to avoid ruining relations with the US or other Western countries, where Christianity is a dominant religious belief, and to avoid giving an impression that it's banning Christianity," he said.
Mr Bush's interest comes as his administration seeks to dampen fears that he will go easy on human rights with countries such as China to ensure support for his war on terrorism. Congressional sources said the pressure was expected to mount as the perceived terrorist threat faded.
It has GWB wearing a big cowboy hat and rolling up his sleeve saying "Whaddya know? Another crusade!" and on the side is says "Steady George"
Must be some of that "laizzez-faire stuff." It always stirs up the hornet's nest.
Why should a hongkong person bother the US government?
Your line of reasoning leads one to think "this person is a subject of the Communist Party, and hence the Communist Party can do whatever they want to him."
The thinking that 'this is only one person, why worry' is barbaric.
Unexplained hardness won't be productive. Being difficult for no reason other than being difficult is not good. It must be accompanied with incentives, learning, education, and a clear cut message about what we expect.
If someone whipped their kid and did not tell him why, or without trying to do any find outs or teaching, then the whole learning process is out the door.
If we want long term better results, we have to mix our hardness with something, and be clear and consistent about it.
The US has trade relations with almost all counties in the world. Ther are abuse of pwoer and discriminations in many countries, including the US itself. So you don't want to trade with them?
>>Your line of reasoning leads one to think "this person is a subject of the Communist Party, and hence the Communist Party can do whatever they want to him."
No, the person is a Chinese citizen, not a subject of the CCP. I don't thnk the US government should get involved in the case.
Maybe, these 'bibles' are NOT really the "BIBLE"
(Must be KJV,...66 books, or from NT=Textus Receptus Text, OT=Massoretic Text, MUST include 1st John 5:7 IN THE SUBSTANCE of the TEXT and NOT in a margin or footnote,...etc.)
?? Bibles ?? BIBLES=THE ONLY HOLY SCRIPTURE
ANYTHING 'other' than the 'above' is NOT a part of THE HOLY SCRIPTURE........Period!!
America, me especially has no fundamental problem with the death penalty. Just so long as their is ample evidence that makes it known for 100% that a person is guilty of some heineious crime, I say light em up.
I am not opposed to the Chinese giving the death penalty as long as the proof is there and there has been a fair trial and proceedings, including no planting false evidence or whatever.
Some of those Europeans have a fundamental problem with the state, any state putting people to death for any reason at all. With them, Osama killed 3,000 people, but you still could not execute him. With that, no war is justified, ever, even the one against Hitler, which saved the European's asses. Their argument is fundamentally flawed.
Where to draw the line now is a different matter.
The punishment itself is not what is in question here, it is the law that persecutes someone for doing something so basic as believe in a religion.
You have state sanctioned persecution of religion. Anything they think that you should not believe in, sorry.
It is a monumental abuse of power. It goes against the very tenets of basic humanity. The basic freedom to choose ones belief system is accepted world-wide, except in China and some other power abusive systems. They can't be having anything that competes with their political power.
They are choosing political power in a flawed system over protecting of people, which protecting the people is what governments are designed for in the first place.
Perhaps Bush was giving them a chance to correct the error of their ways before using stronger measures.
I have made an honest effort to buy USA made products, and would gladly pay more, but all I can find on my shopping list is 'made in China'.
The good news is (I think) we stand a better chance of addressing their poor humanitarian ethics with some kind of trade agreement in place. Capitalism is slowly spreading in China so that hopefully one day their economy will be so dependent on trade that they will mend their ways. I don't like giving them favored trade nation status as yet, though, and don't understand Bush's allowing this to occur.
It is hopeful that trade will further open the lines of communication so that maybe we won't ever have to see whose nukes are more powerful.
The US has trade relations with almost all counties in the world. Ther are abuse of pwoer and discriminations in many countries, including the US itself.
America is not being hypocritical about it at all. Over the past 200 years America has experienced so much improvements in basic human rights. It amazes me that a black man is now Secretary of State. A Chinese lady is Secretary of Labor, that says a lot right there. Went from working on the railroads to one of the top posts in the government. We have Mexican lawyers in the White House even.
America has definately kept the door open, and said something about its own record, and did something about it too. No one is immune, but at least we put our money where our mouth is.
I think America can and should say something about it, because it has the best interest of the people at hand, unlike the power abusive authorities in China.
America has set the tone with its own actions, but Chinese authorities don't feel the need to jump on the train and join in.
Finally though, you gotta ask yourself this one question: If you saw your neighbor out on his front lawn beating his wife and kids, would you still have respect for him? Would you still be friends with him?
There are such things as common rules and standards of conduct.
China must decide, are they going to be part of the civilized world or not?
I do however feel that there are at least some people who want to come to a common understanding...
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