Chinese activist who camped in protest at Tokyo’s airport arrives home

Chinese who camped in Tokyo’s airport arrives home

SHANGHAI — A Chinese activist who spent more than three months camped inside Tokyo’s international airport as part of a protest flew home to China on Friday and was allowed into the country.

Feng Zhenghu arrived on a flight from Narita International Airport, where he camped from early November until last week to protest China’s refusal to let him enter the country.

His entrance into China comes after eight previous attempts since June where Chinese authorities refused to allow him in. Feng has angered the local government by supporting student protests and accusing local authorities of wrongdoing.

His brother, Feng Zhenglong, confirmed that he had left the airport and was heading to his home in Shanghai.

Feng Zhenghu had said in a phone interview from Tokyo that he was eager to spend the Lunar New Year, China’s biggest holiday, with his family.

“I think this request is humble and reasonable. They should not be so nasty as to keep me from going home,” he said.

The predicament of 55-year-old Feng reflects the Chinese government’s rejection of public dissent of any kind. Many activists have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for nonviolent protests. Scores of others have been forced into exile.

A dissident writer and human rights activist, Feng was jailed from 2000-2003. Detained for several weeks in early 2009, Feng says he has been monitored and harassed by authorities for supporting Shanghai residents seeking redress in property disputes with the local government.

Supporters of Feng gathered at the airport, many of them holding pieces of paper with his name on it. Some were residents who had lost homes.

“Feng is great. He hasn’t done anything wrong but help us fight for justice,” said one of the supporters, Zhou Minwen.

Feng left China in April and began his efforts to return home in June. His last attempt got him as far as Shanghai’s Pudong airport, where Chinese officials forced him to get back on a plane to Tokyo.

Despite holding a valid Chinese passport and a visa to enter Japan, Feng refused to pass immigration control as a protest against China’s government. He used a laptop and mobile phone to talk to supporters and post on blogs and social networking sites such as Twitter.

He survived on food and clothes provided by tourists passing through and used a restroom sink for washing.

Chinese officials met with Feng at Narita airport in late January, and afterward he announced he had permission to go home. He left the airport to spend some time with relatives in Japan, where his son is a university student, before his departure.

Asked about Feng’s case at a recent news conference, Shanghai’s mayor Han Zheng would only say that all those entering the country had to abide by Chinese laws and regulations.