Council Passes Bill To Support Jiang 'Responses'

As the Kennedy School of Government finalizes preparations for Chinese President Jiang Zemin's arrival at Harvard, some student groups are making plans to protest the event.

The Harvard Salient is organizing a demonstration which will feature human rights activist Harry Wu.

Wu "will talk about why it's inappropriate for Jiang to be speaking at Harvard," according to Lewis R. Harper, Washington office director of Wu's Laogai Research Foundation.

The Taiwanese Cultural Society (TCS) is also planning a response to Jiang's speech, "to demonstrate to the public that China is wrong to forcefully exclude Taiwan from international organizations and conferences or otherwise treat Taiwan unfair- ly," according to an e-mail message sent to TCS members.

Both events are scheduled for around 1 p.m. on the day of Jiang's speech, which will take place at 11 a.m. in Sanders Theatre.

Wu will address students assembled in Tercentenary Theater from the steps of Memorial Church, and is expected to attract a large crowd.

"We expect there will be quite a crowd for a person of Mr. Wu's stature," said protest organizer Kevin A. Shapiro '99-'00.

TCS co-president Chienlan Hsu '98 estimated that the TCS rally will attract about 100 people to the steps of Widener.

Hsu said the TCS rally will be "not even a protest, but more a campaign of awareness."

The e-mail message to TCS members explained, "Instead of going the shouting/chanting/sign-waving route, TCS intends to focus on using Jiang's visit as an opportunity to raise public awareness of the tension in current Taiwan-China relations."

The Salient speech, by contrast, will focus on human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese government.

"We hope he'll be delivering a response to Jiang's speech and talking about human rights tomorrow...Mr. Wu is famous for trying to increase consciousness of Chinese logai, or forced labor camps," Shapiro said.

"Harry just wants the Chinese President to know what democracy feels like," Harper said.

Harper said that event will be coordinated in order to make it so that everyone who attends the Jiang speech is aware of Wu's protest.

Before speaking at Harvard, Wu will participate in a protest in front of the White House during President Jiang's official state visit this coming Wednesday.

In a meeting with Dean Archie C. Epps on Friday, TCS officials discussed other measures the society might take in reaction to Jiang's speech.

At a board meeting last night, TCS finalized plans to hand out information sheets regarding the conflict between China and Taiwan in front of the Science Center on Thursday and Friday

Both events are scheduled for around 1 p.m. on the day of Jiang's speech, which will take place at 11 a.m. in Sanders Theatre.

Wu will address students assembled in Tercentenary Theater from the steps of Memorial Church, and is expected to attract a large crowd.

"We expect there will be quite a crowd for a person of Mr. Wu's stature," said protest organizer Kevin A. Shapiro '99-'00.

TCS co-president Chienlan Hsu '98 estimated that the TCS rally will attract about 100 people to the steps of Widener.

Hsu said the TCS rally will be "not even a protest, but more a campaign of awareness."

The e-mail message to TCS members explained, "Instead of going the shouting/chanting/sign-waving route, TCS intends to focus on using Jiang's visit as an opportunity to raise public awareness of the tension in current Taiwan-China relations."

The Salient speech, by contrast, will focus on human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese government.

"We hope he'll be delivering a response to Jiang's speech and talking about human rights tomorrow...Mr. Wu is famous for trying to increase consciousness of Chinese logai, or forced labor camps," Shapiro said.

"Harry just wants the Chinese President to know what democracy feels like," Harper said.

Harper said that event will be coordinated in order to make it so that everyone who attends the Jiang speech is aware of Wu's protest.

Before speaking at Harvard, Wu will participate in a protest in front of the White House during President Jiang's official state visit this coming Wednesday.

In a meeting with Dean Archie C. Epps on Friday, TCS officials discussed other measures the society might take in reaction to Jiang's speech.

At a board meeting last night, TCS finalized plans to hand out information sheets regarding the conflict between China and Taiwan in front of the Science Center on Thursday and Friday