United Kingdom in China journalists complain: Chinese people always lift the opium war _ Guma

United Kingdom in China journalists complain: Chinese people always brought opium war United Kingdom "Daily Telegraph" (Daily Telegraph) journalist Malcolm Moore in "foreign correspondent" blog in Chinese and English also published an article "Did we mention the Opium War?" AK mo.-g, in Xinjiang due with the package to carry four kilograms of heroin and was arrested by the 53-year-old British subjects, to become China's first 50 years, was sentenced to death by the Europeans. AK Mao's case in the United Kingdom gave rise to the earthquake, the petitioners claimed their suffering from mental illness, and is being spoofed carrying drugs to China. Withstood media bombardment (Note This is the Christmas holidays, nothing serious happened, newspaper media hungry for any news), the case is now evolving into a diplomatic incident. United Kingdom Ministry officials claimed Lewis British Chinese disregard 27 times the case leniency and identification of mental illness. In the Pittsburgh G20 Summit, Prime Minister Brown to Hu Jintao President mentioned the case and after the Copenhagen meeting referred once again to Premier Wen Jiabao. Lewis said that when they hear the Court did not carry out identification of mental illness and on the direct imposition of the death penalty, "nasty stomach pains". I do not know whether the normal AK hair spirit. Now we'll never know. However, his life was a tragedy. During his imprisonment, his wife already and he broke off the relationship, and stick to conceal the name. He and his in the United Kingdom's three children for many years been seen, and there are reports that he and his in Poland two children also alienation. He has worked for a time on the streets. He wrote the composer's ambition and rambling messages indicate that, at least, he is an extremely weird. China 1997 indicated for criminal law 18 spirit impaired suspect in supposed a lesser punishment, because it cannot recognize your own behavior. But at the same time the Court had to decide whether to carry out the autonomy of the psychiatric evaluation. In the past, mental disorder of foreigners in China, the courts have been punished from the light. I'm a priori first judgment AK hair, Urumqi local court is facing enormous pressure, not to bother to seek a compromise solution. Because AK hair drug carries a huge amount, as this is sentenced to death 80 times. As the Chinese Embassy, AK hair and no record of mental illness. He also never been related to a medical institution for treatment. There is no wool regardless of AK psychiatric illness, Britain's political rhetoric to conflict and by the lack of understanding of each other, showing up along China and the West have more bad. United Kingdom, and of course there will be articles condemning the brutal Chinese, including the daily mail of a story, very frightening to portray the AK hair removal of corneal transplant surgery is done. If the United Kingdom in the death of the other countries adopt the same attitude, for example, uh, United States, you may get some share of the Chinese side. China's reaction, but think of the opium wars and colonial invasion, when the United Kingdom's personnel is not governed by the laws of China. I came to China for two years. Remember that initially I every two weeks you will hear the opium war topics in the news, or talk with Chinese people in communication. This war took place in the 170 years ago, it's time people the faded. In fact, many of the recent tragedies, but no one mentioned. Chinese Embassy feel the need to refer to the colonial history of aggression United Kingdom suggests that current policies are affected by the impact of historical events, and enhance soft power in fact not many benefits. This will only allow people to deepen their understanding of Chinese nationalism, inept and obstinately impression. If you could publish the trial verdict AK hair legal process that is now a case of the death penalty in China each must undergo High Court review, may win more agree with you, after all, this recent initiative makes death rate dropped significantly. �� English �� On Tuesday, Akmal Shaikh, a Briton who was caught 53-year-old inXinjiang with four kilograms of heroin in his bag, became the firstEuropean to be executed in China for 50 years. Shaikh��s case has caused uproar in the UK, where campaigners saythat he was mentally ill and manipulated into carrying the drugsinto China. After sustained media pressure (and remember that this isChristmas time, when big stories are thin on the ground and paperslap up any news), the case has now been turned into a diplomaticissue, with Ivan Lewis, a British Foreign Office minister, sayingthe Chinese had ignored 27 appeals from the UK to reconsider thecase and perform a mental evaluation of Shaikh. In Pittsburgh, atthe G20,Gordon Brown raised the case with Hu Jintao and then againin Copenhagen with Wen Jiabao. Mr Lewis said he was ��sick to my stomach�� at the decision to goahead and execute Shaikh without testing his sanity. I don��t know whether Shaikh was mentally ill or not. We now willnot ever know. However, the story of his life is a sad one. Hiswife refused to have anything to do with during his incarcerationand does not want her name to be known. He has not seen any of his three children in the UK for years andwas also reportedly estranged from his two children in Poland. Hehad spent time living homeless. His songwriting ambitions and hisrambling emails suggest, at best, that he was extremelyeccentric. Article 18 of the 1997 Criminal Code states that the courts mustbe lenient with suspects who are mentally incapacitated andtherefore unaware of their actions. However, the court hasdiscretion to decide whether or not a mental evaluation isnecessary. Mentally-ill foreigners have been treated more lenientlyby courts in the past. I would hazard a guess that the local court in Urumqi would havebeen under enormous pressureto convict Shaikh and not to searchtoo hard for mitigating factors. He was carrying a huge haul ofdrugs, 80 times the quantity that would have qualified him for thedeath sentence. Moreover, as the Chinese embassy pointed out, Shaikh had norecord of mental illness. He had not been committed to aninstitution for treatment. Whether or not Shaikh was mentally ill, the rhetoric from boththe UK and China, and the lack of understanding on both sides,shows again how poor the relationship is between China and theWest. On the UK side, predictable articles condemning China forbarbarism, including one in the Daily Mail which macabrely sketchedout how Shaikh��s corneas would be removed for transplant, would bemore forgiveable if the UK took a similar stance against the deathpenalty in other countries, such as, ahem, the United States. The reaction from the Chinese, however, has been to raise thespectre of the Opium War and of colonial extraterritoriality, whenBritish subjects were not subject to Chinese law. Since I arrivedin China, nearly two years ago, I reckon I have heard the Opium Warraised at least twice a week, either in the media or inconversations with Chinese. This war took place 170 years ago andit is time that people got over it. After all, there are far morerecent tragedies that no one mentions.The fact that the Chineseembassy feels the need to point out Britain��s history of colonialoppression, and to suggest that current policy is influenced byevents in the far past, does it no favours at all in terms ofbuilding China��s ��soft power��. It merely reinforces the idea thatChina is stridently nationalistic and determined to beunaccountable.It would win more points by outlining the legalprocess which convicted Shaikh, and by pointing out that everydeath sentence in China is now examined by the Supreme Court, arecent reform which has led to a dramatic decrease inexecutions.