21 September 2005

Zhang Hong Jie's murderer to slip between unbending principle

| johnboy
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ABC Online are reporting that two titans of obstinacy, China and Jon Stanhope, are at loggerheads over the murder of Zhang Hong Jie (aka Steffi, but can we at least give the poor girl the dignity of her name?).

Mr Stanhope will not co-operate with the Chinese authorities as long as they refuse to rule out the death penalty. While the Chinese will not extradite one of their own for pretty solid historical reasons.

I’m vehemently opposed to any death penalty exercised by our own government, but I have to say I’m ambivalent about others who choose to tolerate it in their own.

While we seem to be sending some bad signals to chinese students, and possibly business people, there is a bright side. Murderers who can skip town before their crime is discovered would appear to have a green light.

Lets see if our friend Marika Harvey now doing PR for ACT Tourism can craft a campaign around that.

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I’m sure that Jon Stanhope is given the same level of importance by the Chinese as the Wollongong Mayor.

I noticed that that ACT Coroner directed that the victim’s family be given a copy of the inquest brief so the Chinese Govt would now already have it.

the alleged murderer was not forced to go to China – he chose to, and thus subjects himself to Chinese law – bullet in the back of the head, rather than the slap on the wrist he would have got here.

I have to say that I agree with Chris: the guy is Chinese, he went back to China of his own accord, so let the Chinese sort him out in which ever way they see fit.

Anyway, no doubt his liver, heart, kidneys, etc will go to making someone elses lives much better.

(Jon, just get back to fixing those potholes and dodgy footpaths, mate.)

Surely China should be able to execute the bloke with or without evidence anyway?

I mean, what’s the point of being a totalitarian dictatorship if you’re going to go around looking for evidence all the time?

after some recent decisions in ACT courts, ala knife wielding maniacs who actuall stab peopel getting a slap on teh wrist, im happy for the chinese to conduct a fair trial and then shoot this bloke. surely if stanhope wont help them, they can send their own investigator.

i saw a jackie chan film with that same theme once.

they could even send jackie chan, he is familiar with the place.

The alleged perpetrator – OK the perpetrator- is a Chinese national, in China, subject to Chinese law. He didn’t have to go back to China, but he did. I imagine the case will be decided by the Chinese with or without the assistance of the ACT.

On the other hand, shouldn’t a criminal should face the justice system in the place where the crime occurred? After all, it’s our society that we’re trying to protect. China shouldn’t insist on doing us the favour of offing the guy.

The Chinese are right, IMHO, to insist that they administer their own justice according to their own law (and capital punishment, usually by firing squad, has ALWAYS been part of chinese law).
Wonder if the Dear Comrade will get an invite to the 56th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic this year ?
I’d have doubts.

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