Arlen Specter: “The thrust of the private relief bill and the concurrent resolution is that they seek relief for Mr. Yongyi Song, who is…”

“The thrust of the private relief bill and the concurrent resolution is that they seek relief for Mr. Yongyi Song, who is a librarian at Dickinson College of Carlisle, PA. Mr. Song was detained in Beijing, China, on August 7 of this year and on Christmas Eve was charged with ``the purchase and illegal provision of intelligence to foreign institutions.'' Two days ago, the People's Republic of China announced that Yongyi Song had confessed, which I believe is a representation having absolutely no credibility because Mr. Song has been held in detention for months. Any statements made in that context are inherently coercive, intimidating, and really of no validity at all. The facts are that Yongyi Song is a distinguished and noted scholar who has published extensive works about the Cultural Revolution in China and that he had made a trip to the People's Republic of China earlier this year in order to further his academic research. Then he was taken into custody without cause. The resolution that has been filed calls for the People's Republic of China to release Yongyi Song promptly.”