Quote: "I sat in the row directly behind the family of Mr Chen, the blind human rights activist who had been admitted to the United States to study law at New York University, and their American handlers. I wondered what I would say to Mr. Chen if I had the chance. (There was no such opportunity; I suspected that his handlers — who unlike Mr Chen’s two well-behaved children bounced out of their seats with unusual frequency, alerting anyone nearby that something unusual was afoot — would have intercepted any attempt at conversation.) I imagine other passengers wondered the same thing; as the Chen family exited the plane, the cabin of United Airlines Flight 88 filled with spontaneous applause.