HONG KONG, July 13 (UPI) -- After barring them from entering the mainland for up to 15 years, China has begun issuing permits for some Hong Kong democrats to visit their ancestral homes.
Residents of Hong Kong are entitled to apply for travel documents to the mainland, known as "home return permits." Prominent democrats, human rights advocates, and religious figures are routinely denied such permits, however.
Last week the pattern was broken when democracy activist John Shum was granted a one-time entry permit to the mainland. He had been banned from entry for 15 years after allegedly helping mainland dissidents escape from China after the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.
Other democrats say Beijing officials have approached them with offers of reinstating their travel permits, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday.
Some democrats feel the offers are an attempt to divide and control them. They are calling for a united response to Beijing's overtures, with some suggesting they should travel as a group and request meetings with officials in Beijing.
