Published by: World Tibet Network News, Wednesday, October 16 1996

HONG KONG, Oct 16 (AFP) - Chinese authorities allowed dissident Wang Xizhe to flee the country for the United States via Hong Kong, his wife was quoted here as saying Wednesday.

Wang's wife, Su Jiang, told the independent Chinese-language Ming Pao daily she believed authorities had "deliberately" let her husband leave to go into self-imposed exile.

"Before Wang fled there were top public security officers following him, with the obvious intention of letting him know (he was being followed)," she said.

"Probably they intended to to frighten him.

"If the authorities wanted to trail him, they needed not to be too obvious."

She added that "authorities also rang up, asking him to stay at home as they would come up (to see him)."

"If they wanted to arrest him, they could simply come directly to make the arrest," she said.

Su's remarks were made after China Tuesday condemned the escape of the veteran dissident, attacking Hong Kong and US authorities for encouraging people to illegally leave China.

"On this issue, all states and governments must observe the rules and laws and not encourage illegal emigration," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told reporters.

Su admitted 47 year-old Wang, who according to US-based Chinese dissident sources arrived in San Francisco early Wednesday via Moscow and Paris, did not discuss his plans to flee the country with her.

"By leaving, he lost his influence," Su said, adding "it takes only a sentence (to express one's views) at home rather than a 100 sentences abroad."

Wang, who fled to the British territory Saturday after going missing in China last week, left Hong Kong Monday night.

Wang was smuggled into Hong Kong after his fellow dissident, Liu Xiaobo, was arrested and sentenced to three years in a labour camp. The pair jointly wrote a letter last month calling for an independent Tibet as well as the impeachment of President Jiang Zemin.