我要回家運動緣起
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1989年6月4日凌晨一聲槍響後，參與天安門民主運動的學生、學者、工人、市民在沒有選擇下流亡海外，他們被迫放棄學業、事業，與家人分隔兩地。
「8964」至今已經二十個年頭，這批為中國民主發展的人士，長期與家人分開被放逐般的漂泊在外，他們不斷向中國中央發出「我要回家」的要求，可惜，未得回應甚至只得客死異鄉。
資深報人、被譽為「中國的良心」的劉賓雁先生因癌症於2005年12月5日凌晨零時25分，不治，終年80歲。
劉賓雁的夫人朱洪在《賓雁的遺願》一文中回憶：「每次聽到，這幾年中國大陸伴隨著經濟發展而出現的社會腐敗和年輕人喪失道德理想的現狀，他都感到憂心如焚。所以，知道自己罹患癌症以後，賓雁非常希望回到中國治病，同時親歷中國大陸社會的實際現況。為此，他一再給北京的最高層領導人寫信，提出回國的要求。先是給江澤民寫，後是給胡錦濤寫，給溫家寶寫，並且托可靠的關係把信件往上送。我們明確獲悉信件已經遞交上去，被有關領導人收到。可是，每一封信都石沉大海，沒有任何回應。其實，早在1992年，我們的中國護照馬上要過期的時候，曾向紐約中國領事館提出護照延期的申請，就遭受到護照被無理扣押的待遇。」
病中的劉賓雁先生曾經痛苦地對只可短暫停留的女兒小雁感嘆：「我只是想重新用自己的腳踏一踏那片土地，他們為什麼要這麼害怕一位年過八十、身患重病的老人？」
劉賓雁先生生前曾對妻子朱洪說，希望在他的墓碑上寫上：「長眠於此的這個中國人，曾做了他應該做的事，說了他自己應該說的話。」最後，他真的只可長埋美國。
早在1989年10月，協助民運人士移居海外香港的朱耀明牧師，與一些流亡法國巴黎的人士相會，得知一些流亡者離開了國土和家庭，十分不適應外國的生活，又因前路茫茫，精神不寧，故有人提出即時「回家」的可能，但礙於當時的政治形勢，心願未了。雖然於1991年後有多位知識份子回國，但只是極少數的例子。
至1991年，朱耀明牧師又與部份流亡海外的運人士相聚於美國洛杉磯，再次討論「回家」事宜，一方面是嘗試回國的可能性，另外是關心在大陸被囚禁人士的安全。唯當時各人都缺乏旅行證件，回國實際是不可行的。最後，朱牧師籌組了「海外華人關注大陸被捕民運人士訪京團」，可惜團員抵京後不久，便被驅逐離境而告終。
九十年代中期，前《人民日報》社長、總編輯胡績偉就曾提出過一個建議：呼籲中國當權者撤銷1989年下達的通緝令，讓流亡海外的學生和知識分子返回祖國。江澤民第一次正式訪美的時候，著名民運人士王軍濤也曾向北京方面提出這樣要求，首先讓流亡人士中年過七十的老人回國。結果，王若望先生等不了中國當權者的首肯，於2001年12月19日成為第一個客死他鄉的流亡民運人士。
二十年過去，這批流亡民運人士一次又一次的吶喊著：「我要回家」。
香港的朱耀明牧師說他們回家的路愈來愈難。朱牧師說：「20年前，我曾協助流亡的民運人士移居海外，20年後，我的心願是協助他們平安回歸故土，使他們能與家人重聚。因有不少民運人士已年紀老邁，回國是他們的權利，今天決定再次發起『我要回家運動』，祖國沒有理由排斥自己的國民。」
學運領袖王丹說：「我媽媽年紀老邁，身體、心臟都不好，實在擔心。我離家很遠而且又不能回去。在外這些年月思鄉情切，為了父母我要回家也希望流亡海外的民運人士早日能回家。」
這批流亡海外的民運人士因當時的環境而迫不得已離開生於斯長於斯的土地，縱使年月的過去也不減他們對回國回家的盼望。
2007年中，朱耀明牧師發起並組織的「我要回家運動」正式在香港註冊成立。
宗旨：
中國領導人多次宣稱建立和諧社會及依法治國。家庭完整是和諧社會的基礎；回復公民回國權體現依法治國。流亡海外的民運人士爭取回家團聚是合情合理也符合國策及國情的，中央沒有理由將他們拒於門外。
「我要回家運動」本著人道精神，循法律途徑全力協助流亡海外的中國公民行使公民權利，爭取早日回家。
「我要回家運動」主席
朱耀明牧師
Home Coming of Tiananmen exiles : How it all started
support “Home Coming”
June 4th, 1989. The sound of gunshots broke the silence of the night. Thereafter many who have participated in the Tiananmen democracy movement – students, scholars, workers, citizens – were forced into exile, having to leave behind their studies, their careers, and their families.
Twenty years have passed since that fateful day. Because of their dream of a democratic China, these people have been living as wanderers, enduring long separation with families. Repeatedly they have raised the demand of “Coming Home” to the Chinese government, yet their pleads have fallen on deaf ears. Some have even died with the regret of not being able to see their homeland one last time.
A veteran journalist who has been praised as “China’s conscience”, Mr. Liu Binyan, died of cancer at 12:25am, on 5th December, 2005. He was 80 years old then.
In “Binyan’s Last wishes”, Liu’s wife, Zhu Hong wrote, “Every time when he heard about the corruption of the society, and how the younger generation has lost sight of morality and ideals because of the sole emphasis on economic development, Binyan would feel really worried. As a result, after he learnt of his illness, Binyan wished very much to return to China to treat his cancer, and to experience first-hand the real Chinese society nowadays. He wrote repeatedly to the leaders in Beijing, requesting to go home. First he wrote to Jiang Zemin, then Hu Jintao, then Wen Jiabao. The letters were handed to trusted contacts and we had received confirmation that the leaders had indeed received the letters. Yet there never was any reply. Actually, as early as 1992, when our Chinese passports was about to expire, we already made an application to the Chinese embassy in New York for renewal. Instead of renewing it, the embassy took away our passport without any explanation.”
On his sickbed and with pain in his voice, Liu said to his daughter Siuyan, who was only allowed a brief visit to her father, “All I want is to step on my homeland once more with my own feet, why are they so afraid of an eighty-year-old, fatally-ill old man?”
Before he died, Liu told his wife Zhi Hong that he would like inscribed on his tombstone, “Here lies a Chinese who had done what he should do, and said what he should say.” In the end, his body could only be buried in America.
In October 1989, Rev. Chu Yiu Ming, who has helped many a democratic movement activist escape China, met with some exiles in Paris. Being abruptly uprooted from their homeland and families, most exiles found life in a foreign country difficult to adapt to. The uncertainty of their future also caused them huge stress, and some raised the possibility of returning home. But due to the political climate at the time, their wishes were not fulfilled. Although a number of intellectuals did return to China after 1991, they were the exception rather than the rule.
In 1991, Rev. Chu met with some exiles in Los Angeles, and the issue of returning home was again raised. One concern was the possibility of returning home, another was the safety of those who are still in jail in China. Yet at that time most of them did not even have travel documents, so traveling to China was practically impossible. Eventually Rev. Chu organized a group visit to Beijing, named “Beijing Visit of Concerned Group of Overseas Chinese over the Safety of Jailed Democracy Activists”. Yet the group members were deported shortly after they arrived at Beijing.
In the mid nineties, former Chief Officer and Chief Editor of the “People’s Daily”, Hu Jiwei suggested that the government should recall their arrest warrant issued in 1989, and allow exiled students and intellectuals to return to the country. On Jiang Zemin’s first visit to America, the famous activist Wang Juntao raised a similar concern, urging Beijing to allow exiles over 70 years old to return. Sadly, Mr. Wang Ruowang, who died on the 19th December, 2001, became the first democracy activist to die on foreign soil, having waited in vain for the day when the Chinese leaders would approve these requests.
For twenty years, these exiles have been calling for their right to go home, time and again.
Rev. Chu from Hong Kong said that their chances of ever returning home are diminishing. “20 years ago, I helped many of them move to other countries; now, 20 years later, my wish is to help them return home, to reunite them with their families. Many of the exiles are old, and it’s their right to return to their own country. So I decided to initiate this “Home Coming” movement. The Motherland has no reason to reject her own citizens,” he said.
Ex-student leader Wang Dan said, “My mother is old, and has weak body and heart. I’m really worried about her. I’m far away from home with no way of going back. All these years living abroad has made me ache for a glimpse of my homeland, and I have to go back if just for my parents. I also hope that other exiled democracy activists could be allowed to go home as soon as possible.”
These exiles were forced to leave, under exceptional circumstances, the place where they were born and bred, and the years have never lessened their longing for home.
In mid 2007, the movement “Home Coming” for Tiananmen Exiles, founded and organized by Rev. Chu Yiu Ming, was officially registered in Hong Kong.
Aims:
The Chinese leaders have frequently stressed on the building of a harmonious society and rule of law. The integrity of the family is the foundation of a harmonious society; restoring one’s right of going back to one’s own country demonstrates the rule of law. The exiled democracy activists’ fight for their right to go home and reunite with their families is both reasonable and in accordance with the policy of the state; Beijing has no reason to refuse them entry.
Founded on humanitarian principles, “Home Coming” for Tiananmen Exiles is a movement to campaign for exiled Chinese citizens through legal channels, in order to help them reclaim their right to return home.
Chairman of “Home Coming”:
Rev. Chu Yiu Ming
