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Chinese police assure protection of foreigners post Heywood murder
| Published: | 23 Apr at 6 PM |
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As reported by the Sacramento Bee, Police in Chongqing, China, are vowing to better protect expats after the murder of UK businessman Neil Heywood, which has ignited an global political scandal.
Mr Heywood’s case is a rare one, says an anonymous Chongqing city official to the Xinhua news agency; the source added that very few foreigners have been the victim in crimes or other offenses in the city in the past two years.
Mr Heywood was discovered dead in a hotel room last November in south Chongqing, in what was first blamed on excess alcohol consumption. However, police knew that the 41-year-old man had been murdered, said a senior Chinese journalist to the BBC, claiming that a cover-up had "immediately" begun.
Three police officers immediately asked to resign, said Han Pingzao, an ex People's Daily reporter in Chongqing. The supposed poisoning has ever since been correlated to the wife of ex Chongqing Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, who was deposed from his top role and js now under investigation for corruption.
Wang Lijun, who is Mr Bo's ex ally and also the city police chief, asserted that Heywood's death was in fact murder after sensationally going into the American general consulate in Chengdu in February.
Mr Bo's wife Gu Kailai along with Zhang Xiaojun, who is an orderly at Bo's home, are currently being investigated for their suspected involvement in the murder of Heywood, a family friend.
American-based Chinese-language internet site Boxun.com announced it had experienced an denial-of-service attack during several hours last Friday which prevented its nonstop reporting on the scandal.
Mr Heywood’s case is a rare one, says an anonymous Chongqing city official to the Xinhua news agency; the source added that very few foreigners have been the victim in crimes or other offenses in the city in the past two years.
Mr Heywood was discovered dead in a hotel room last November in south Chongqing, in what was first blamed on excess alcohol consumption. However, police knew that the 41-year-old man had been murdered, said a senior Chinese journalist to the BBC, claiming that a cover-up had "immediately" begun.
Three police officers immediately asked to resign, said Han Pingzao, an ex People's Daily reporter in Chongqing. The supposed poisoning has ever since been correlated to the wife of ex Chongqing Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, who was deposed from his top role and js now under investigation for corruption.
Wang Lijun, who is Mr Bo's ex ally and also the city police chief, asserted that Heywood's death was in fact murder after sensationally going into the American general consulate in Chengdu in February.
Mr Bo's wife Gu Kailai along with Zhang Xiaojun, who is an orderly at Bo's home, are currently being investigated for their suspected involvement in the murder of Heywood, a family friend.
American-based Chinese-language internet site Boxun.com announced it had experienced an denial-of-service attack during several hours last Friday which prevented its nonstop reporting on the scandal.
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