Peace Prize Loss a Relief for Tiananmen Dissidents

Some contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize may have breathed a sigh of relief when they learned the award went to someone else.

After the Norwegian press speculated that exiled Chinese dissidents Wei Jingsheng and Wang Dan were nominees for this year's award, they and their families faced harassment from the Chinese government.

Humanitarian groups hope Wei, Wang and their families may escape further persecution now that the award has been presented to Doctors Without Borders, a group of physicians who revolutionized the field of humanitarian aid.

On the midst of festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the rumored nominations drew international attention to the country's bad record on human rights.

After learning of Wei's and Wang's nomination, Chinese officials censured both the Norwegian government and the Nobel Committee, claiming the two men were "common criminals" not worthy of such an accolade.

China also reacted furiously in 1989 when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, that country's exiled spiritual leader. China has occupied Tibet since troops first invaded the mountain nation in 1950.

Wei, 49, is a former electrician and soldier who lost faith in China's communism based on Mao Tse-tung's radical policies. Wang, 31, was a student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy movement in China and participant in the protests at Tiananmen Square. Before they were forced into exile, both men spent many years in jail for criticizing the communist regime.

But because both Wei and Wang, who is currently a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, are beyond the physical reach of the Chinese government, officials threatened their families instead.

As the world waited for the Nobel committee to announce this year's winners last Friday, Chinese police forced their way into the home of Wang's parents and, according to Wang's mother Wang Lingyun, tried to bring her to the police station.

According to the Associated Press, police returned and took Wang Lingyun about a half-hour before the winners were announced.

The Chinese government's disapproval of the nomination has also affected Wei's family. A spokesperson for Wang in Boston told the Associated Press that Chinese police had detained Wei's brother, Wei Yaotao, although his detention could not be confirmed.

Professor of Chinese History Peter K. Bol said he believed Chinese police should not have reacted as they did, and that many Chinese would probably agree with him.

"They simply shouldn't have done it. The first thing to remember is that in China there are drastically different levels of authority, from the hard-lined to the liberal," he said. "I am not surprised by what the police did to [Wei's and Wang's] families. But I also think that there are Chinese people who thought that it was a stupid thing to do. I even think that within the Chinese government there were people who thought this was stupid."

Thomas Sze Leong Yu '00, co-president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association (HRCSA), says that he is not surprised that the Chinese government responded as they did.

"This year has been a very sensitive year for China, since it marked the anniversaries of the Tiananmen incident as well as the founding of the People's Republic," he said. "Therefore, the Chinese government is highly concerned with stamping out any elements which could oppose the Party."

Yu said that he sees the police invasion as standard for Chinese officials intent on asserting their own ideology of government.

"From the way I see it, it's routine that the Chinese government would warn against the West in supporting pro-democracy leaders, as a way of sending a message to the domestic scene discouraging anti-Party or anti-state groups," he said.

Yu said that American intervention in Chinese politics is hotly debated and the outcome is unclear.

"It's actually quite controversial

whether American foreign policy works to make China more cooperative, or

whether our preaching makes them less likely to turn out the way we want

them to," he said.

Within the HRCSA, Yu says that he is promoting education of China's current events instead of taking sides.

"Our organization does not take a political stance on this issue," he said. "But I do notice that the general population does not have a good understanding of the situation in China, and are quick to jump to certain conclusions. We hope to educate the

Harvard community as much as possible to make a more informed judgment on these matters."

Bol said that the University and President Neil L. Rudenstine can make a significant difference in freedom and democracy in China by encouraging Chinese officials to reflect on their actions.

"When President Rudenstine entertains visiting presidents from Chinese universities, we need to ask them what they are doing to help make China a more open society," he said.

Bol said he thought both Wei and Wang were worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize nomination. He has had personal contact with Wang since he came to Harvard last year. Bol said that since his first encounter with Wang, he has had the highest respect for the celebrated dissident.

"He is a fine and thoughtful young man who has paid a considerable price for his convictions," he said. "But one of his more important decisions is also the one that led him to Harvard, that learning and education have the greatest of value."