CHINA'S most famous dissident Wei Jingsheng returned home yesterday evening pledging to continue the fight for democracy. ''My political views have not changed . . . I have no regrets,'' Mr Wei said outside his parents' apartment in western Beijing. Mr Wei said that under the terms of his parole he would be deprived of his political rights for the next three years but vowedto get involved in politics once again after that period. ''Of course [that will be in] the democracy movement, that's for sure,'' he said. Despite being imprisoned for 141/2 years for his role in the Democracy Wall movement of the late 1970s, Mr Wei said he was not afraid to continue the fight for democracy. ''I wasn't afraid in the past, why should I be afraid now,'' he said with a large grin. Mr Wei, 43, said he supported paramount leader Deng Xiaoping's policy of reform and opening up to the outside world but added that there was a lot about the current situation in China he still did not fully understand. ''I need time to come to terms with things,'' he said when pressed to comment on current political issues. Mr Wei was reluctant, however, to align himself too closely with Mr Deng, the man widely believed to have personally ordered his detention in 1979. Nevertheless, Mr Wei did express his support for Beijing's bid to host the 2000 Olympics, saying that it would be a great opportunity for China and a marvellous way to enter the 21st Century. Looking fit and alert, Mr Wei showed no signs of physical or mental illness despite being held in solitary confinement for five years at one point in his detention. Mr Wei did say he only had 12 teeth left but had been fitted with false teeth. The former leader of the Democracy Wall movement returned to his parents' home unceremoniously just after 8 pm yesterday accompanied by his brother Xiaotao and sister Ling. He explained that he had not returned home immediately after his release on parole last Tuesday because he needed time to rest and acclimatise to the new China. Mr Wei said that he had stayed away voluntarily and had spent some of the last week with a friend. ''I spent most of the time just relaxing and having fun,'' he said adding that part of his relaxation activities included firing off air guns. After talking to the press for about 10 minutes, Mr Wei excused himself saying he had to go to see his father, who had not visited him since his release from jail. Mr Wei's father, Wei Zilin, 68, is a retired senior official with the Ministry of Construction and is said to have virtually disowned his son after his involvement in the Democracy Wall movement.
