Ching Cheong petition to be handed to NPC chief

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CHINA: Ching Cheong petition to be handed to NPC chief
28 legislators sign letter that calls on Hu Jintao to release the jailed journalist

South China Morning Post
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

By Klaudia Lee and Jimmy Cheung


The Security Bureau yesterday promised to hand in a petition from Ching Cheong's family to National People's Congress chairman Wu Bangguo calling on him to review the jailed journalist's case during his visit to the city.

The comments by Ching's elder brother, Ching Hai, followed a meeting between the family and a Security Bureau official and came as former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang called on Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to take a more "proactive" role in helping the jailed journalist.

A signature campaign by Democratic Party legislator Cheung Man-kwong also gathered steam, with 28 lawmakers signing the letter that calls on President Hu Jintao to release Ching on medical parole.

Ching Hai said the official had promised the family that the letter would be handed to Mr Wu. The letter calls on the NPC chairman to look into the case, saying the verdict was unjust and was founded on biased and insufficient evidence.

The official also promised to pass the family's request to the mainland authorities asking for medical parole for Ching and to allow him to serve out his sentence in Guangzhou, he said.

Ching Hai also revealed that mainland sources had told him that the Beijing Higher People's Court would soon deliver a formal letter to the detention centre in Beijing notifying them that the case was closed.

Mrs Chan, who yesterday described Ching as journalist who loved the country and Hong Kong, said she was "very saddened" by the case.

"Hong Kong people hope that our chief executive can reflect Hong Kong's people's concerns and worries," she added.

Date Posted: 11/29/2006