Pain of separation for a dissident

Frank Lu dreams of parents he cannot embrace

By CNN's Patricia Lai

Frank Lu was one of the June Fourth democracy movement student organizers in 1989. He was then Chairman of the Autonomous Students Union of Hunan province.

Lu was detained in China for a year after the crackdown. After release, he collected information and material about human rights and democracy movements in China.

Lu fled to Hong Kong in 1993. He is no stranger to the Hong Kong media. He runs the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, where a lot of news about China's dissidents and human rights issues is dispersed.

"Like all other June Fourth exiles, the thing I wanted most is to go home," he said.

"I haven't seen my parents for eight long years . . . sometimes I dream of them. I dream of meeting my old friends in China, too."

Lu is now a Hong Kong permanent resident, but he cannot apply to go to the mainland because he did hold a legal document to come to Hong Kong eight years ago.

"It would be dangerous for me to get back, too. I may be detained by the Chinese government."

Lu says his parents, in their 70s, have applied for a two-way permit to come to Hong Kong for a visit to no avail.

The Chinese government grants two-way permits to mainlanders who want to visit Hong Kong.

"They've applied for one year but they are not allowed to come," he said.

"My parents are old. I don't know when I will have a chance to see them. I feel like the government is taking them as hostage," he said, adding they are not allowed to visit their younger son in the U.S. either.