The Chinese government has promised that it
will conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged murder of Briton Neil
Heywood and release timely information.
This
pledge followed fresh pressure from London for truth, justice and no political
interference in the ongoing probe which headlines China's biggest and most
mysterious political crisis in years.
The
death of Heywood is a "serious criminal case involving the kin and aides
of a party and state leader", said a commentary by the official Xinhua news
agency yesterday.
It was
referring to purged leader Bo Xilai, whose wife Gu Kailai has been named as a
suspect in the killing of Heywood last November in a hotel room in
south-western Chongqing.
The
Xinhua dispatch, available only in English, came just hours after British Prime
Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague both held talks with
China's propaganda chief Li Changchun during his visit to Britain.
The
British leaders demanded a transparent investigation and Li responded that the
case was "being examined by the judiciary in full accordance with the rule
of law", according to a spokesman for Cameron.
The
British Premier also offered London's assistance in the probe but Li did not
take it up.
Xinhua
said the Communist Party's Central Committee has already made a resolute
decision to investigate this scandal, which is a sign of the party's
responsibility towards the people.
"Based
on the facts made public so far, the Wang Lijun incident is a serious political
event that has created an adverse influence both at home and abroad," it
added.
Wang
Lijun, Bo's former right-hand man, drew global attention to this crisis when he
fled from Chongqing to the US consulate in Chengdu on February 6.
He was
handed over to Chinese state security, flown to Beijing and has not been seen
since.
The
former high-profile police chief alleged that Gu and Bo family aide Zhang
Xiaojun had murdered Heywood over economic interests.
Both Gu
and Zhang have been detained. Bo, who was suspended from the party's Central
Committee last week, is believed to be under house arrest.
Speculation
has been rife that the British businessman was poisoned, as opposed to original
claims that he died from excessive drinking or a heart attack. But many people
here remain sceptical of the official claims, believing that they are
trumped-up charges to get rid of Bo.
"It
is very hard for us to believe that a family member of a high-ranking official
will kill because of money. The Bos are extremely rich," said Peking
University analyst Zhang Jian.
There
have also been plenty of rumours of further political strife circulating in
Beijing, including renewed groundless talk of a coup and even the purge of
security czar Zhou Yongkang.
But
there are growing signs that Bo will be charged with graft, in addition to
implications from his wife's alleged homicide and Wang's potentially treasonous
act.
The
Xinhua commentary cast the entire scandal as part of the party's
"anti-corruption drive".
Leading
Chinese newspapers have also hinted that Bo's downfall will be tied to tycoon
Xu Ming, who disappeared on March15, the day Bo was sacked as Chongqing party
boss.
Xu, who
owns Dalian-based Shide conglomerate and is a close ally of Bo, is believed to
have been detained by anti-graft busters. His chief executive, Chen Chunguo,
has also been missing for nearly a month.
Peh
Shing Huei
The
Straits Times
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