China: Information on the introduction of stringent exit-control measures on 21 June 1989
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | CHN7856 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, China: Information on the introduction of stringent exit-control measures on 21 June 1989, 1 February 1991, CHN7856, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad3040.html [accessed 14 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989 does not provide any information regarding the introduction of tighter exit controls on 21 June 1989. However, it reports that the Chinese government tightened existing restrictions on foreign travel on 20 June 1989 by putting into effect a new policy called the "double exit permit system" (Country Reports 1989 1990, 817). Accordingly, passport applicants had to obtain a "political 'bill of good health' from the work unit and its party committee" (Ibid.). The source adds that the purpose of the new policy was to determine whether applicants were involved in the pro-democracy movement (Ibid.).
An Associated Press article of 22 June 1989 reports that the Chinese authorities "sharply" increased controls on travel in the wake of the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement ("Chinese Fugitives Find It Hard to Hide," 22 June 1989, 1). The report states that soldiers checked identification cards and searched the bags of travellers at the Beijing train station in June 1989 (Ibid.). It further reports that the Chinese authorities ordered custom officials to be "especially alert for fugitives seeking to leave the country" after 4 June 1989 (Ibid., 2).
A report carried by Central News Agency on 23 June 1989 indicates the presence of the "Chinese security police" at the Peking airport following the Tiananmen Square massacre ("U.S. Congress Human Rights Caucus Holds Hearing on Peking Massacre", 23 June 1989, 1). The report describes the difficulties that a Chinese student went through in order to smuggle out a number of illegal pictures at the Peking airport (Ibid.).
A Chinese radio broadcast on 22 June 1989 monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation reports that the Chinese army and the Public Security Department carried out a "joint army and police check" on the alleged supporters of the pro-democracy movement at Peking railway station, which resulting in the arrest of 32 people ("Other Reports on Arrest and Trails; Police Arrests at Peking Railway Station", 22 June 1989).
A China specialist at the University of British Columbia claims that the Chinese government further tightened security controls at its immigration posts in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre (telephone interview, 19 February 1991). The source was unable to comment, however, whether security controls were tighter on 21 June 1989 than before.
According to a representative of Amnesty International in Toronto, the Chinese government introduced "severe measures" to control departures after a week of "total chaos" in Peking following the Tiananmen Square massacre (telephone interview, 20 February 1991). Among other measures, the representative holds that the Chinese authorities introduced the "double visa system" which forced those who had already received exit visas to reapply for them. According to the same source, the authorities also required Chinese students who wished to go abroad to submit a special letter from their employers or neighbourhood community attesting to their non-involvement in the pro-democracy movement. The source suggests that 21 June 1989 could be the day when the new regulations were put in effect.
A representative of Asia Watch in New York claims that the Chinese government introduced tighter exit controls (new exit visas) in June 1989 following the Tiananmen Square massacre (telephone interview, 20 February 1991). However, the source was unable to comment whether the new exit controls were put in effect on 21 June 1989.
One of the representatives of the Chinese community in Ottawa, the Director of the Language Resettlement Program, maintains that the Chinese authorities announced new exit controls on 19 June 1989 (telephone interview, 20 February 1991). Accordingly, those people who had already received exit visas had to re-apply. A letter of recommendation from their work units comprised a further necessity. The representative mentions that work unit directors were expected by the government to specify whether visa applicants were involved in the pro-democracy movement. Due to the involvement of a large number of applicants in the movement and a high level of sympathy for the movement amongst certain levels of Chinese authorities many of the applicants received the required letters.
Further information on the subject is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
Bibliography
Central News Agency. 23 June 1989. "U.S. Congress Human Rights Caucus Holds Hearing on Peking Massacre."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
The Associated Press. 22 June 1989. "Chinese Fugitives Find It Hard to Hide." ; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
The British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 June 1989. "Other Reports on Arrest and Trails; Police Arrests at Peking Railway Station." (NEXIS)
U.S. Department of State. 1990. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Attachments
Central News Agency. 23 June 1989. "U.S. Congress Human Rights Caucus Holds Hearing on Peking Massacre."; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
The Associated Press. 22 June 1989. "Chinese Fugitives Find It Hard to Hide." ; 1, 2. (NEXIS)
The British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 June 1989. "Other Reports on Arrest and Trails; Police Arrests at Peking Railway Station." (NEXIS)
