Operation Yellowbird

The operation obtained its name from the Chinese expression "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the yellow bird behind" (). In an interview with South China Morning Post, he explained that the group "wanted the activists to fly freely in the sky, just like the yellow birds". ==Background==

Weeks prior to the violent escalation of the protests, the CIA maintained a network of informants among the student protesters as well as within Chinese intelligence services, which it used to monitor the situation. The CIA actively aided the student activists in forming their movement, providing them various equipment including typewriters and fax machines according to a U.S. official. According to The Washington Post, after the Beijing protest crackdown, this group drew up an initial list of 40 dissidents they believed could form the nucleus of "a Chinese democracy movement in exile", with the help of the western intelligence agencies, and Asia's mafia, the Triads. ==Financing==

According to the posthumously published memoirs of veteran Hong Kong political figure and leader of the Alliance, Szeto Wah, Yellowbird was financed mainly by Hong Kong businessmen and celebrities who sympathised with the plight of the activists, but extensive assistance also came from the colonial government. The organizers of the operation spent upwards of HK$600,000 (US$64,000) to rescue each activist and to cover other expenses to get them abroad. In addition, triad members who managed the smuggling routes inside China requested payments of about US$25,000 for every attempt, regardless of its success or failure. Other benefactors included chanteuse Anita Mui and filmmaker Alan Tang. Within China, considerable financial backing for the operation came from a variety of sources, such as business personalities and ordinary citizens who sympathized with the activists. Diplomats in Hong Kong were also able to help by obtaining visas for the escapees' departures to various countries. Funds were used for the costs of smuggling individuals directly out of mainland China, as well as for financial assistance for other dissidents who made it to Hong Kong by themselves. Rescue money was mainly raised privately by the Operation, for fear of alerting British authorities at the time, who were being careful before Hong Kong's transfer to China in 1997. There were worries about possible repercussions from Beijing if any knowledge of assistance given to the dissidents was revealed. Nonetheless, Yellowbird managed to gather funds of around US$2,000,000 from the business community in its early beginnings. ==Success and details of the operation==

Closely following the aftermath of the protests, 7 of the 21 most wanted students escaped China through the operation's assistance; although some had no knowledge of its existence at the time. These seven individuals were Wu’er Kaixi, Chai Ling, Feng Congde, Li Lu, Liang Qingtun, Wang Chaohua and Zhang Boli, while the remaining fourteen on the list had either turned themselves in or were subsequently captured. In its entirety, Yellowbird successfully helped more than 400 dissidents, who were smuggled through Hong Kong, and then onwards to Western countries. Escape teams from Hong Kong were sent into China under the cover of being specially formed trading companies. False documents and disguises were also used once the individuals were verified, with some teams enlisting make-up artists for this purpose. == Problems and end of the operation ==

Yellowbird encountered several complications throughout its duration. Different circumstances forced Chan Tat-Ching to withdraw from the operation, just after he had facilitated the retrieval of a total of 133 individuals. In an early instance, two of his men and an escaping student perished in a boat crash. On 13 October 1989, another two of his men were arrested after an attempt to rescue intellectuals Chen Ziming and Wang Juntao was revealed to be a sting operation. They had received false information about the two wanted intellectuals and were apprehended by Chinese police officers when they came to identify the men. Chan travelled to Beijing in 1990 and secured the release of his two operatives in exchange for terminating his involvement with any additional fugitives. Chan himself managed to 'negotiate' himself out of trouble with the PRC in 1991, having convinced certain official interlocutors that his intentions were patriotic. However, Chan was seriously injured after being attacked by unknown assailants in Hong Kong in 1996. Three Hong Kong–based activists associated with the Operation were arrested by Chinese authorities on the mainland, but later released after intervention by Hong Kong's government. In 2002, Hong Kong democrat Leung Wah, who was also involved in the operation, died in mysterious circumstances in neighbouring Shenzhen. Although it was never proven one way or another, Leung's associates believe that he died at the hands of PRC security agents. The operation proceeded until 1997, when Hong Kong's sovereignty was transferred to China. Some escapees had remained in the city for years, awaiting their withdrawal, which came when diplomatic efforts were frantically made in the months before the colony's return. ==References==