February 6, 2002

Consul General Lan Lijun
443 Shatto Place
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Dear Consul General Lan,

I am upset to learn that Ke Ye, a Ph.D. candidate in my school here at USC has been unable to get his passport renewed, thereby placing obstacles in the way of completion.

As his professor, I know that Mr. Ye was in extremely poor health during the first one and a half years he was in our program. I am very happy to see that he has recovered from his illness, passed the tough Ph.D. qualifying examination and started to work on his dissertation. I am also impressed by his spirit and courage to pursue the values of truth, benevolence and tolerance, which are so noble but often neglected in modern society. I believe the cultivation of these principles will contribute to a more peaceful, stable and prosperous future for the world.

Mr. Ye is an honest and virtuous person. He immediately stepped forward to help with flood relief when millions of Chinese people were suffering the devastative effects from that natural catastrophe. He spoke out when Indonesian Chinese citizens were attacked there. He has demonstrated his love for his country and its people. I understand his action in urging peaceful dialogue within China. I have been personally impressed with Mr. Ye's compassion for his fellow citizens in China, and with those citizens who have maintained non-violent attitudes. I believe to tackle social problems through peaceful means is much more beneficial.

The USA was founded upon the principles of freedom, justice, and tolerance. Americans defend every one's rights to freedom of speech, faith and conscience. As Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." I urge you to prevent any further harassment of Mr. Ye. Most specifically, I urge you to renew his passport and return it to him without delay so that he can continue his studies here at USC.

Thank you for your consideration. I would be happy to meet with you over Mr. Ke Ye and would be happy to answer any further questions about him. Just phone me at (phone number omitted).

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Yours faithfully

Gerald E. Caiden
Professor of Public Administration

Category: Opinion & Perspective