Chinese Swimmer Won’t Return to His Homeland
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SAN FRANCISCO — A member of China’s national swimming team who fled from Hong Kong on Oct. 4 said he plans to remain in the United States until his country “settles down.”
Yang Yang, 20, told a news conference here Thursday that he has no immediate plans to seek asylum in the United States although he supports the pro-democracy movement. He said his main wish “is to return home once the country settles down and there is freedom and democracy.”
Yang said that, although he never was politically active in China, he was one of the approximately 1 million demonstrators in a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong after the June 4 retaliation against dissident students at Beijing’s Tian An Men Square. He said his participation in the rally could lead to persecution if he returns to China.
Meanwhile, he has a visitor’s visa that his attorney said could be extended for a year or more. Yang said he plans to learn English and participate in conferences about China.
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