University President Warns Chinese Students Not to Harass Other Chinese on Campus

Mitch Daniels says intimidation directed at Kong Zhihao was ‘unacceptable and unwelcome.’

By Roseanne Gerin

A U.S. university president who is a former governor of Indiana has condemned Chinese nationalist students in his state who harassed a Chinese pro-democracy graduate student for openly praising Tiananmen Square protesters.

Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University, a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, sent an email to members of the campus community on Wednesday saying that the treatment of the student, Kong Zhihao — whom Daniels did not name in the message — was “unacceptable and unwelcome.”

The incident stems from a November report by the U.S. media organization ProPublica about how the Chinese government is threatening Chinese students at American universities who openly criticize Beijing, and harassing their families back home.

Kong posted an open letter on a dissident website in May 2020, praising the bravery of students killed during the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989, and his intent to participate in a 31st anniversary online commemoration of the event, organized by rights groups, ProPublica reported.

Afterwards, Kong was followed by Chinese students on campus who accused him of being a CIA spy and threatened to report him to the Chinese Embassy in Washington and to Chinese national security personnel. State agents also told Kong’s parents to tell their son to cease his actions.

In response, Kong decided not to give a speech at the commemoration event because of concern for the safety of his family.

Daniels said in the email that it is regrettable that the university was not aware of the incident when it had and only had learned about it through news reports. He then warned that if the identity of the students who threatened Kong could be confirmed, they would face appropriate disciplinary action.

Likewise, students who exercised freedom of speech and belief but directed them against other students or reported to a foreign entity would be subject to severe sanctions, said Daniels, a Republican who served as governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013.

Additionally, he said students who try to deprive others of their rights or collude with foreign governments to suppress the rights of others, should receive their education elsewhere.

When contacted by RFA about the email, Kong texted that “President Daniels’ courage to safeguard freedom of speech is admirable.”

Copyright © 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. https://www.rfa.org

Scared Tuxedo Kitten Rescued from Bottom of 10-Feet Pipe in California

In an abandoned field, California’s Alameda Police Department (APD) Animal Control Officer Emily Crum found a tiny, terrified tuxedo kitten that had fallen about ten feet down a metal pipe.

Read More

Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber Spaniel has a robust build, large bones, and a strong chest.The straight, soft coat of the Clumber Spaniel is medium in length. Coats are flat and thick.The coat is mostly white with sporadic orange or lemon markings on the legs, ears, and face.

Read More

Data Science

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that uses machine learning, statistics, and data analysis to analyze data and extract insights and data.Data science uses systems, algorithms, and scientific methods to extract useful information and insights from raw data.

Read More

UN Security Council Meets on Situation in Middle East, Including Palestinian Question

Noa Furman, Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

Read More

When Two Coyotes Crossed Paths with Bear,Larger Coyote Protects Smaller One

Richard Hurwitz, a homeowner in Tarzana, Los Angeles, said that his ring camera recorded a bear coming into contact with the two coyotes.The larger of the two coyotes repeatedly confronted the bear as it stayed near the smaller coyote, he said, despite the bear’s apparent advantage.

Read More

Cocker Spaniel

The medium-sized sporting dog breed known as the Cocker Spaniel was originally breed to flush and retrieve game birds.They have long, straight coats. Their colors include cream, tan, red, black, and a combination of tan and white.

Read More

Data Mining

Discovering significant patterns, relationships, and insights in large volumes of data is known as data mining. It uses methods from data management, machine learning, and statistics to reveal signals that aren’t readily apparent through simple reporting or searches.

Read More

Hong Kong Court Verdict Aims to Erase Tiananmen Memory,1989 Student Protester Says

A Hong Kong court this month convicted two leaders of a dissolved pro-democracy group to erase the memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a pro-democracy activist who was a student leader during the 1989 event told Radio Free Asia.

Read More