Friday, May 4, 2012

One Activist Sparking a lot of Heat

You may have heard on the international news by now about a man named Chen Guang Cheng. However, if you're a Chinese citizen living in China, you may have never heard of him.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/04/world/asia/china-activist-us/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Basically, this is a blind human rights activist who spent the last 4 years in prison, and recently escaped house arrest and fled to the US Embassy in Beijing. These events have sparked a lot of interest as it's slowly uncovering the Chinese government officials' behavior and treatment of prisoners and activists. It's also interesting as this is a crucial challenge with US-China human rights, international relations, Clinton's current visit to China, and Obama's reelection campaign.

All politics and international relation concerns aside, Chen is an important voice speaking out against the government's treatment and behavior. Despite his international fame, many people in China haven't even heard about this guy because the government is trying hard to suppress and hide this news.

So, please read up on Chen, his story, his actions, and continue to spread the word. The more international attention this issue gets, the more the Chinese government will be pressured to make wise and appropriate decisions. That's all I can (and should) say.


--
Byron Yee
TEFL English Teacher - Shenzhen, China

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