Causecast

by SARAH NELSON, Contributing Writer

He’s a man without a home. Well, he has a home – he’s just not allowed to go back to it. Since June, Feng Zhenghu, an economist, author and human rights activist, has been denied re-entry into China eight times. Four of the times, it wasn’t until arriving in China that he was refused the right to de-board the plane. Airlines, including U.S. based Northwest Airlines, have refused him boarding in Japan, citing orders from the Chinese government. In the meantime, Feng has made Tokyo’s Narita International airport his home. His Japanese visa is still active, so he is technically allowed to leave the airport, but for Feng, the issue is a matter of principle. He lives in the airport as a form of protest and to raise awareness about his situation.

Survival in the Narita’s arrival concourse is a more difficult than you might expect. There aren’t any restaurants, so Feng has relied on the kindness of other travelers and flight crews for meals. Japan has offered Feng asylum, but he has refused. Airport officials doubted Feng would last more than a few days on his mission for justice, but this week marks his second month as a resident of the airport. That’s a long time without a shower. Officials say that airport security could escort Feng into Japan, but would rather he enter voluntarily.

Feng keeps himself busy raising awareness about his situation to airport passerby and receives a great deal of support from the public he encounters. He also blogs and tweets about his experience.

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Feng stays optimistic about his situation, saying "It’s better than prison." And Feng would know. He spent three years in a Chinese prison. His stint in prison came after writing a book he said criticized Chinese regulations against foreign company investment in 2001. He was charged with "illegal business activities."

As far as an explanation for his current predicament, the Chinese government hasn’t offered a reason. Feng can only guess that his role as a vocal human rights activist probably has a lot to do with it. In 1989, Feng spoke out against the Tienanmen Square incident and found himself under investigation by the Chinese government several times throughout the 1990s. His most recent run-ins with government officials came earlier this year when he was detained in February for more than a month. Feng was detained again in June for what investigators called "intentionally disturbing public order.”

Chinese officials have only responded to the current situation by saying, "China’s relevant government agencies will adhere to appropriate regulations and entry-exit laws to address this issue." Until China changes its mind or Japan kicks him out of the airport, Feng is a citizen without a country.

The U.N. has offered to help Feng establish political refugee status, which he has respectfully declined. President Obama’s recent visit to China generated a fair amount of criticism for his soft approach to addressing China’s human rights issues. Feng responds to such criticism by saying, "President Obama shouldn’t bear the responsibility of improving human rights in China – he is the U.S. president, not the Chinese president. My view has always been China’s problems have to be solved by us Chinese people." So Feng continues his own battle to empower China’s one billion citizens to take their basic human rights into their own hands.

For more information on the situation in Tokyo read Feng Zhenghu’s full statement. Find out how you can help support the effort to get him back to China by checking out Initatives For China, a global effort to help secure a peaceful transition to democracy in the People’s Republic of China. In the meantime, join Feng’s Facebook group and follow him on Twitter to show your support.

Photo by IsaacMao, flickr.