Word: weis
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...Wei arrived at the hostel in a Jeep Cherokee at 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, giving him less than six hours to see his family before he would board the Northwest flight and go into exile, perhaps forever. There was picture taking and excited chatter about family news. Some of the group were worried about how Wei's father, Wei Zilin, 79, would react, since he was once sternly critical of his son's activism. But, says younger son Xiaotao, "the old man controlled himself quite well...
...soon, it was time to go. At the airport, Wei met briefly with Sasser, who asked the dissident if he was leaving voluntarily and explained that he might never be able to come back. Just before the 10:30 a.m. departure time, Woo Chan Lee, a U.S. embassy employee, strode to the gate not with his wife but with a tired-looking man in a down jacket. Only then was the Northwest crew told about the important passenger they would have on board the flight...
Exhausted as Wei was by the 13-hour trip and the medical exams, he needed only a few days' rest before stepping out into the spotlight. At the New York press conference he spoke of those he left behind. "I have waited decades for this chance to exercise my right to free speech," he declared, "but the Chinese people have been waiting for centuries." Wei seemed confident that he had not seen the last of his homeland. "I certainly plan to go back," he said. "I never planned to leave." In fact, he added, "I'd be willing to return...
...euphoria over Wei Jingsheng's freedom was muted by the grim reality he left behind. For fellow dissidents remaining in China, life is worse than ever. Virtually all are either imprisoned and tortured or hounded daily by authorities who keep them largely separated from society. What's more, foreign governments that claim to pressure China on the dissidents' behalf now seem more concerned with trading rights than human rights...
...Wei's departure moves others to the top of release wish lists kept by human-rights groups and the U.S. government. The most attention is now focused on Wang Dan, 28, a leader of the 1989 uprising that was brutally suppressed in Tiananmen Square; he is serving an 11-year term. Like Wei, Wang is reportedly ill, enduring stomach pains stemming from a nerve disorder. Family members say they've been told he may have a brain tumor, but that his jailers won't allow a CAT scan. Chinese officials say he's faking the illnesses...