Wang Dan delays job bid after graduation setback Exiled Tiananmen Square student leader Wang Dan says that he has been in touch with several organisations in Hong Kong in the hope of visiting the city for academic exchanges after July 1. He made the approaches after having to defer plans to apply to teach in Hong Kong because of a delay in his graduation from Harvard University. But he is not optimistic about getting permission to visit, despite stopovers by activists Ren Wangding and Chen Ziming last month. Mr Wang said he did not think he would be presenting his thesis - a comparative study of the politics of violence across the Taiwan Strait in the 1950s - in time to graduate as planned in June. 'I submitted my thesis to my supervisor a month ago but it still hasn't been given back to me because my supervisor is very busy these days. After receiving it, I will still need to do some revision,' he said. 'After June, the next chance for graduation would be in November.' In the meantime, the 37-year-old - one of the key organisers of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 that led to the bloody June 4 crackdown - said he hoped to visit Hong Kong after July 1 to gain a deeper understanding of the teaching and research environment before formally applying to teach in the city. 'It's a very sensitive period before July 1 because it's the anniversary of June 4 as well as the 10th anniversary of the handover,' he said from Los Angeles. 'I don't want to create a high-profile presence in Hong Kong because my aim is to carry out academic work here, not to carry out political activities.' Mr Wang declined to reveal who he had been in touch with, but did not think it would be difficult to find a non-governmental organisation to invite him for academic exchanges. However, he did not think his chances were good because he had not seen any change of attitude towards him by the central government despite visits by Mr Chen - branded as a 'black hand' organiser behind the 1989 pro-democracy movement - and Mr Ren. He said his parents had asked Beijing authorities two months ago to let him visit them, but had been given no response. 'I've also applied to renew my Chinese passport through the Chinese consulate-general in Los Angeles, and also have received no response.' Since his Chinese passport expired in 2003, he has been forced to use a travel document issued by the US government to gain admission to other countries. Rules on the Immigration Department website state that visas are needed for all 'stateless' travel document holders to be allowed into Hong Kong. Despite his absence, Mr Wang's voice will be heard in about three weeks at the ceremony to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown. As usual, his pre-recorded message will be broadcast to tens of thousands of people at the candle-light vigil in Victoria Park. 'For many years, it's been my wish to attend in person,' he said.
