www.japantoday.com/e/?content=popvox&id=502
Print Bobby Fischer: Japanese immigration has detained ex-world chess champion Bobby Fischer, a US citizen, for using an invalid passport when he tried to leave for Philippines. In 1992, he played in a chess match in Yugoslavia and won $3 million. He was then indicted by the US because the country was banning US citizens from economic activity with Yugoslavia. Charles Jenkins: The treatment of Charles Jenkins, an accused US Army deserter and married to a repatriated Japanese abductee, will unlikely become a major issue between Japan and the United States, a White House official told a Japanese lawmaker.
Emiri, 23 "This is the very first time that I have heard about Bobby Fischer. Fisher should get just as much Japanese media coverage as Charles Jenkins. Jenkins is an old time US deserter who is trying to escape his crime through appealing to the Japanese public. Jenkins might have told North Korea confidential information about the US and he also apparently taught English to North Korean spies.
Well, from what you are telling me now, I feel sorry for him. All he did was to play chess and to make $3 million out of it - fair and square, with his talent. But then he was listed in the most wanted in the US And after that he somehow came to Japan and again tried to run away with an expired passport but was caught by the Japanese immigration. Compared to him, Jenkins is very lucky, at least at this stage in his life."
Sanpei Tsune, 20 "Since I don't know much about Bobby Fischer, I can't really talk much about him. However, speaking of Charles Jenkins, I can't believe the VIP treatment that he has received. Jenkins might have done people major harm in 1965 when he deserted to North Korea. Even if Fischer won $3 million in a chess match in Yugoslavia, he made it with his own talent doing something that he really enjoys. It shouldn't really be considered an economical activity, as the US charges. Whereas, when Jenkins deserted, he knew he belonged to the US army and how wrong his action was. Because it was a conscious decision, it's called a crime. There are many other political crimes and desertion, why should Jenkins be treated differently?
Daisuke Gouda, 19 "I didn't know that there was someone like Bobby Fischer in Japan. But anyway, when I look at the overall situation that Jenkins is in, I think he should be given some slack. I mean he should be charged with something, but nothing big. The same treatment should be given to Fischer - he should be charged for something, but nothing serious."
Aiko Ono, 20 "I don't know anything about Bobby Fischer, but I do know the Charles Jenkins case. I think he is very lucky to have married Hitomi Soga, who just happens to be the former abductee repatriated from North Korea. Otherwise no one would have any sympathy for him and there would have been no negotiations about his hand-over. Of course, if he didn't marry Soga, he wouldn't have left North Korea in the first place. I think the smart thing for Bob Fisher to do is to marry a Japanese woman, preferable someone like Megumi Yokota who is a missing Japanese abductee in North Korea. If he does (provided that he finds her), his problems will be solved!"
Well, from the story that you have told me just now, Fischer seems to be less guilty than Jenkins although the media likes to portray Jenkins as an innocent man. I think Jenkins is so fortunate that he has a Japanese wife to take an advantage of her position, because she is also a former abductee. The fact that he is married to Hitomi Soga gives him a lot of leverage, because he gets attention and sympathy from the Japanese people. Otherwise, I don't think he could appear on the TV everyday. If in the future the US decides to enter a plea bargain for Jenkins, they also need to do the same for Fisher."
Obviously these two guys' prosecution conditions are unfair. However, if you look at the entire world, everyone is actually created unequal. Some are rich, some are poor, some were born in a developed country and some were born in a developing country. Although, I do not mean that those differences are OK, but I mean that we just need to accept the facts surrounding the problem; Jenkins, Soga, other abductees, North Korea, nukes, economy, Japan, US relationships, all these moved Japanese media and gave a huge impact on Japan. There were many appropriate reasons for Jenkins' case to create big news. For more than 10 years, he lived apart from his family in a camp without money, just waited long to be granted as asylum to go to America. Therefore, I can somewhat understand how hard life these two people had. If he could make a change now, I think others as Fischer might be able to receive different charge. Someone needs to make a difference, that's for sure and we need to rethink about the war itself.
joe american probably didn't know what chess was until they found out bobby fischer had beaten the russians at it. then again, probably wouldn't have known what the moon was until armstrong stepped on it.
Click here to see all messages by akebono (Aug 1 2004 - 16:26) This shows that Koizumi's government is a puppet of Bush administration. They freed a son of North Korea's dictator, when he tried to enter Japan with a forged passport at Narita Int'l Airport in 2001.
Granted his public statements are usually anti-semetic, but Fischer seems like the kind of fella that would expand his media rants to include praise or promotion of the Nazi party. If he actually gets asylum in Germany, he had better keep his Jewish hating rhetoric to himself. What do you think about the arrest of Bobby Fischer, compared to the arrest of Charles Jenkins?
Click here to see all messages by theFly (Aug 2 2004 - 01:25) Jenkins was not known for his intelligence. But emotionally he is immature and undeveloped to an astonishing degree. Crimes: Jenkins wandered off into a country of suffering. Fischer refused to cancel a chess tournament after the USA decided to make Yugoslavia a land of suffering.
Click here to see all messages by Eric_USA (Aug 2 2004 - 07:47) You're absolutely right--Germany has laws against Holocaust denial, Nazi symbols and slogans, and certain kinds of racist speech. Fischer's propensity for anti-Semitism could be an issue if German officials are considering offering him citizenship, although the main purpose of that would be to get Fischer a legal passport so he could get out of Japan without being deported to the US.
Click here to see all messages by Ash (Aug 2 2004 - 23:24) Fischer was actually in violation of UN sanctions, which, as treaty obligations, have the force of law (at least in some places). These sanctions came about because, believe it or not, the Yugoslavians decided to make Yugoslavia a land of suffering. I'm sure America must have been involved somehow, just because, but how hasn't become obvious yet. It's tempting to say Fischer deserves the full ten years because he's such a jerk, but I suppose justice should be blind. Rather, he deserves ten years (assuming he isn't legally insane) because he clearly knew what he was doing, and broke the law as flagrantly as possible. Besides, as a famous recluse, what would he be doing in the next ten years that he couldn't do from jail?
Click here to see all messages by apec-net (Aug 3 2004 - 07:18) To test Fischer for sanity, he only has to play another grandmaster to determine his ability. After the 1972 match, he had the stature of a Bill Gates, but went into seclusion. It is interesting that even Bill Gates has become somewhat of a "recluse" due to the investigation of groups. Bill Gates is using his wealth to protect himself according to the papers. Fischer's statements are not defendable, but for an all-american guy to say what he has, something very unusual occurred between 1972 to the present. Under US laws and custom, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law -I don't know if it is applicable today. It is possible Fischer has been pursued and he is now cornered.
Click here to see all messages by Davy (Aug 3 2004 - 10:15) Bobby Fischer has applied for political sylum in Japan. He may be a genuis at chess, but he sure isn't a gen...
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