Flashback ... Bobby Fischer is escorted out out Narita Immigration branch office in August. Photo: TATSUYA ONISHI
Posted on 12/15/2004 4:35:24 PM PST by Leifur
Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 07:52 JST REYKJAVIK — Iceland said Wednesday it would give a residence permit to chess legend Bobby Fischer, who is being held by Japanese immigration authorities and the United States is seeking to extradite.
"The Directory of Immigration has today confirmed that Mr Fischer's application has been approved. The Icelandic Embassy in Tokyo has been instructed to inform Mr Fischer about the decision," Iceland's foreign ministry said in a statement.
In an interview aired on Icelandic television station Channel 2 on Monday, Fischer said he had written to Icelandic Foreign Minister David Oddsson requesting asylum.
"I hope the Icelandic government grants me political asylum," he said in the interview.
The Icelandic government however only agreed to give Fischer a residence permit, although it did instruct its embassy in Japan to "help him to get to Iceland if he so wishes."
Fischer, who became an American hero for wresting the world chess crown from Soviet domination during the Cold War, has been held by immigration authorities in Ushiku, north of Tokyo, since July 13.
He was detained after trying to board a flight to the Philippines using an invalid passport. His passport has been revoked by the United States.
The 61-year-old chess master has been wanted by the United States since 1992 for earning over $3 million in a chess match staged in the former Yugoslavia in defiance of an international embargo.
That match was a rerun of his 1972 "match of the century" against Soviet Grand Master Boris Spassky, held in Reykjavik.
It remains unclear whether Japanese authorities, who have rejected Fischer's request for political asylum, will release him or deport him to the United States, where he could face up to 10 years in prison. (Wire reports)
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&id=322121
Leifur, from Iceland
Can we send more, please?
Thanks, Leifur, for the information. It is regrettable that Fischer has chosen to conduct himself as he has, but perhaps this is the best outcome possible at the moment. I hope the former champion does not cause needless trouble while in your country.
How about face-down, room-temperature in a 3ft pile of sea-lion poop? Just what he/they deserve.
Thanks; it is indeed an optimal decision. Hopefully he'll peacefully settle in and start conducting a high level chess school for aspiring young masters. If it comes to pass, it could generate good PR and some extra economic activity.
What a great home page, Leifur. TK, you might like to check this out. Nice to have you here, L.
I give him two weeks before he starts complaining about your lack of trees and the size of your food portions. Then he'll call you "Ice-Nazis".
Yeah, I hope he will cause much trouble, although I do not doupt that he will do some. And if this is an acceptable solution for the US and Japan, I think this could be a good solution of this strange problem. Just hopely will he use our good health system to get a cure for his mental illnesses.
Fischer deliberately broke US law, and he's been a vocal opponent of the US ever since. He's not a nice guy. In fact, he's nasty and possibly insane.
I don't think he contributes anything positive to your country, and I don't know why you'd want him.
If an island nation was going to protect him, I'd prefer it to be Cuba.
I'm rather surprised Japan hasn't already extradited him to the US. I guess their court system is as clogged as ours is.
Hey, Iceland's beautiful. Some of it is a rockpile, but then, some of us like rocks. It's not all frozen, btw -- there are hot springs, and warm ocean currents that keep the southern coast from being like ... well, Buffalo, NY for example. Fantastic scenery, beautiful women, good beer, cute Icelandic ponies -- what's not to like?
Bobby Fisher: Will play chess for food.
Ahhh, you're falling prey to the earliest marketing/disinformation/spin courtesy of my ancestors, the Vikings. Have you seen pictures of ICEland? It's actually quite beautiful.
As opposed to GREENland, which is more along the lines of what you're describing.
See the trickery?
The first Vikings to settle the area named the islands this way on purpose, to keep others from discovering their treasure in the N. Atlantic.
Iceland is not going to let itself become estranged from the U. S. for one reason: Iceland will not allow itself to be dominated by the continent. I met a few Icelanders while in dtld. Nice folks, one and all.
Although I did not exspect this, or think it wise, I beliewe this is an ok decision by my partie´s leaders.
To be sure, Iceland, the longest continuous democracy in the world, has a long tradition of peaceful resolution of differences. But these differences? Why would you consider it OK to harbor a person with no moral scruples? Fisher has thought about nobody but himself when playing that match. As in the past when he raved about the "Jewish conspiracy," he sided with dictators. What is good about having such a person as a neighbor?
Actually , Bobby has always had the attitude that he should get what he wanted. When the Soviet Chess machine stood in his way, he found a way to crush it. When the US gov't told him he couldn't do something, it was a green light for him to go ahead anyway. He fought FIDE, as an extension of the USSR Chess Federation. He certainly doesn't like authority.
He's got a big mouth, an oddball religion and a real attitude problem. In short, he sounds like what made America great. He did no damage other than egg on the face to America and its foreign policy. He's just a burr under Uncle Sam's saddle and U Sam wants to get rid of it. He spoke well (for him) of Iceland. He could help their chess program, but his nortorious seclusion makes that unlikely.
My guess is that he will live there quietly and most won't even know he's there. Besides he likes their version of yogurt.
Still, I suggest that the Icelandic authorities keep Fischer contained to the steaming geothermic rockpile part of the island.
Flashback ... Bobby Fischer is escorted out out Narita Immigration branch office in August. Photo: TATSUYA ONISHI
That poor guy is so nuts.
MO<
Please don't be so hard on the Icelandic people. They ARE, abit .... batty.
( on the whole. )
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