Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Social Pulse
Business Video
The Freeland File
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Reuters Investigates
Decoder
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Issues 2012
Candidates 2012
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Tech Tonic
Social Pulse
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Nader Mousavizadeh
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Jack & Suzy Welch
Frederick Kempe
Christopher Papagianis
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Breakingviews Video
Money
Money Home
Tax Break
Lipper Awards 2012
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
James Saft
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Money Clip
Investing 201
Life
Health
Sports
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Reuters TV
Reuters News
Article
Comments (0)
Slideshow
Full Focus
Photos of the week
Our best photos from the past week. See more
Images of April
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Greek conservatives begin hunt for partners after vote
3:41am EDT
Russian police battle anti-Putin protesters
06 May 2012
George Lindsey, Goober in "The Andy Griffith Show," dead at 83
06 May 2012
Parents of two drowned Duck Boat riders fight liability cap
06 May 2012
Short party for Hollande after French election win
|
3:16am EDT
Discussed
150
One in seven thinks end of world is coming: poll
84
As America’s waistline expands, costs soar
74
April hiring seen picking up
Watched
"The Avengers" breaks a record, Lohan off the hook
Sun, May 6 2012
Hungry zoo lion faces off with unfazed toddler
Thu, May 3 2012
Beastie Boy Adam Yauch dead at 47
Fri, May 4 2012
Pictures
Reuters Photojournalism
Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption
Life in France
A look at the people and places that define France's unique culture. Slideshow
Strange and unusual
A recent sampling of strange and offbeat moments. Slideshow
China dissident Chen expects Beijing to allow U.S. trip
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
China says dissident may apply to study in U.S.
Sat, May 5 2012
Clinton leaves China as dissident Chen awaits departure
Sat, May 5 2012
WRAPUP 8-Clinton applauds China allowing dissident to apply to study in US
Fri, May 4 2012
Chinese dissident's village remains heavily guarded
Fri, May 4 2012
China's Chen appeals to U.S. congress, Clinton treads carefully
Fri, May 4 2012
Analysis & Opinion
Washington Extra – Obama’s China cloud
Texas pastor drives support for blind Chinese dissident Chen
Related Topics
World »
1 of 2. A handout photo from the U.S. Embassy Beijing Press office shows blind activist Chen Guangcheng (C) speaking into a phone in Beijing, May 2, 2012.
Credit: Reuters/US Embassy Beijing Press Office/Handout
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING |
Mon May 7, 2012 2:25am EDT
BEIJING (Reuters) - Blind Chinese rights activist Chen Guangcheng said on Monday he expects Beijing to let him and his family travel to the United States without fresh troubles, but remains unsure how long it will take for official approval to come through.
Chen, 40, who took shelter in the U.S. embassy for six days after escaping house arrest, said he was still in hospital undergoing checks, which had identified an intestinal problem as enteritis, or chronic inflammation from an apparent infection.
"I can't move around much but I'm feeling better," he said in a telephone call, sounding more relaxed than last week when he was at the centre of a diplomatic crisis between the two superpowers just as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was visiting Beijing.
After leaving the embassy on Wednesday under a deal that foresaw him staying in China, Chen changed his mind and said he wanted to spend time in the United States to recuperate from the years of imprisonment and harassment that made him one of his country's most recognized representatives of the "rights defence" movement campaigning for expanded civic freedoms.
China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Chen could apply to study abroad, prompting an offer of a fellowship from New York University, though it remained unclear if China would cooperate in the dissident's travel arrangements.
Chen said on Monday that Chinese authorities had no reason to try to block him and his wife and two children from going to the United States.
"I still don't know when I'll leave, but it shouldn't be too long," he said.
"The government openly promised to respect my rights as a citizen, and I expect them to live up to that promise," he added. "If they did try to frustrate my plans, then they'd be slapping their own face, and I don't think they will do that."
Any more ructions with Beijing over Chen's future could embolden U.S. critics of President Barack Obama's China policies as the United States gears up for presidential elections in November. They had seized on Chen's pleas for safety and his assertions, later retracted, that U.S. diplomats had left him isolated after escorting him from the embassy to the hospital.
DISSIDENT FOLKLORE
Bo Fu, the president of ChinaAid, a Texas-based Christian advocacy group that has campaigned for Chen, said hospital staff had passed his request for a passport to Chinese officials.
"He said that for a disabled person, like a blind person, they don't have to file papers, they just have to make an oral request for an application," Fu said, describing a recent telephone conversation with Chen.
"I asked whether any friends can help him, he said he needs help but none of his friends can visit him."
Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday the United States was ready to give Chen a visa "right away" so that he could take up the fellowship at New York University.
Chen's confinement, his escape and the furor that ensued have made him part of China's dissident folklore: a blind prisoner outfoxing Communist Party controls in an echo of the man who stood down an army tank near Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In 2006, Chen was sentenced to more than four years in jail on charges - vehemently denied by his wife and lawyers - that he whipped up a crowd that disrupted traffic and damaged property.
He was formally released in 2010 but remained under stifling house arrest in his home village in Shandong province, which officials turned into a fortress of walls, security cameras and guards in plain clothes who kept Chen isolated.
The village of Dongshigu, where Chen's mother and other relatives remain, was under lockdown on Friday. Reuters journalists who tried to visit were turned away by guards.
During his escape, Chen broke his right foot.
"I have a cast on it," Chen told Hong Kong's Cable News on Sunday. "No major problems came up in other medical tests, just minor problems. I'm undergoing treatment now."
Chen has said he remains worried about family members, who he fears face retribution from officials in Shandong who have accused them of aiding his escape.
(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Nick Macfie)
World
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
AdChoices
Copyright
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.