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China rejects US, EU calls for dissident's release

Dead-drunk Chinese cop declared communist hero
Beijing (AFP) Dec 15, 2009 - A police officer in southern China has been declared a revolutionary hero after drinking himself to death at an official dinner, state press reported Tuesday. Chen Lusheng, 38, a traffic policeman in Shenzhen city, "died in the line of duty" following the epic drinking bout at a dinner with officials in October, the China Daily said. Chen was awarded the designation of "martyr" after his family complained that compensation offered over his death was inadequate, it said. The designation of "revolutionary martyr" is normally bestowed by the ruling Communist Party and would entitle surviving relatives to more compensation. Chen had become notorious for his drinking ability and "became a target of the hosts, who one by one asked for the officer to 'gan bei'," the paper said.

"Gan bei" is Chinese for "cheers", and literally means "drain the glass". After vomiting, Chen was taken to rest on a nearby sofa where he was soon found breathless and with a purple face, the report said. He later died in hospital of suffocation. Chen's death was the latest in a string of casualties arising from the Chinese tradition in which officials and businessmen ply guests with strong liquor at elaborate banquets to frequent cries of "gan bei!" Last month, a village party secretary in eastern China was found dead after a night of boozing with businessmen, while a water resource official in central China died in July after excessive drinking at a formal dinner. The state Xinhua news agency said in July that about 500 billion yuan (73 billion dollars) in public funds is spent each year on official banquets.
by Staff Writers
 Beijing (AFP) Dec 15, 2009
 China on Tuesday rejected as "unacceptable" US and EU calls to release prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, who appears headed for trial on subversion charges after co-authoring a bold petition for democracy.

Both the United States and European Union on Monday had urged China to free Liu and end the harassment and detention of political dissidents.

"The accusations are unacceptable to China," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters, adding that "China brooks no interference" in such cases.

"We oppose any foreign forces using this as an excuse to interfere in China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty."

The 53-year-old Liu, who was jailed after playing a role in the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests, was arrested last December after he co-authored Charter 08, a widely circulated petition calling for greater democracy.

The dissident writer's family said Saturday that Liu had been formally indicted on subversion charges in a move seen as bringing him closer to trial.

"The US government is concerned that Chinese citizens such as Mr Liu may have been detained or harassed solely as a result of having exercised a universal right to freedom of expression," US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said on Monday.

"We urge the government of China to release Liu Xiaobo immediately and to respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their desire for internationally recognised freedoms," he told reporters.

The European Union, meanwhile, expressed its "deep concern" over Liu's case.

"The EU calls on the Chinese government to unconditionally release Mr Liu Xiaobo and to end the harassment and detention of other signatories of Charter 08," a statement by the EU presidency said.

Rights groups in China fear that after holding Liu for more than a year without trial, officials have now sped up his prosecution and will rush the case through trial during the holiday season.

Liu's lawyer Shang Baojun has said the dissident would face the charge of "inciting subversion of state power."

Rights groups accuse Beijing of abusing such charges to silence critics.

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