Chen Guangcheng: Chinese Dissident Leaves for US

Blind dissident Chen Guangcheng and his immediate family have left China on a flight to the United States. They are expected to arrive in Newark, N.J., Saturday evening.

Their departure caps off three weeks of roller coaster diplomacy that reached the very highest levels of Chinese government and the White House.

...

Several media outlets, as well as human rights supporters in the U.S., cited late May as a potential departure date if all rules for passport applications were strictly adhered to.

But on Saturday, social media reports surfaced that said Chen had left the hospital. By midday, Chen spoke to the AFP and the Associated Press to say he was at the airport with his family and while he had no details, he believed they would be leaving that day.

State Dept Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that Chen and his family left China so he can pursue studies at an American university.
abcnews.go.com

The Chinese announced that Chen would be permitted to obtain a student visa that would allow him to go abroad. The U.S. promptly announced that he and his family would be given the appropriate visas without delay and confirmed that New York University had extended him an invitation to be a visiting scholar.

...

Chen Guangcheng leaves the country that sought to silence him. He also leaves his mother, older brother, nephew and others; friends and family he may never see again. In some ways it was his choice; in others it wasn't .

What is clear is this: today, his new life begins.
abcnews.go.com

Pretty decent article I thought. There are some more in depth ones here:
www.nydaily news.com
www.thedailybeast.com
globa lspin.blogs.time.com
www.csmonitor.com

So, look what happened after all. Mr Chen left China a short while ago and will arrive in New York this evening, I can only imagine how he feels right now and what this significant change is going to bring about for him. Today will probably be one of the best and worst days of his life, what a shame that he'll only be able to hear the world around him and not see it. His perspective is a different one.

I didn't pay all that much mind to your plight Mr. Chen, but for what it's worth may your stay in the United States be fruitful, joyous and free of abuse. I can only assume it will with how much attention is being generated around you. Good luck and godspeed.

So... any speculation? Think he's a spy? Propaganda? Any ideas on what's in store for Mr. Chen while hes in and after his studies at NYU? Don't care?

More threads:
U.S. reaches agreement on Chen
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng in hiding after escaping house arrest
America. A country led by cowards
Chinese activist says he escaped cruel house arrest, calls for investigation

edit on 19-5-2012 by RSF77 because: (no reason given)

reply to post by RSF77

So... any speculation? Think he's a spy? Propaganda? Any ideas on what's in store for Mr. Chen while hes in and after his studies at NYU? Don't care?

In my personally opinion on this i believe his both of those that you mentioned, and i saw on CNN how he wanted to thank Hillary Clinton in person? ugh what for again? if his an blind activist how come he knows her? and also i have read some articles that he has been using the internet to talk with the outside world.

Again if his blind why was he using the internet? you think a normal blind activist would do such a thing?

reply to post by Agent_USA_Supporter


I assume he has some kind of input/output device using brail. I've seen a few interesting pieces of tech related to this here and there.

Not sure there is such a thing as a normal, blind activist. Or that anyone at all is normal.