Thursday, December 07, 2006
Sometimes people forget that the whole blessed world needs us to get our act together
The leading contender for world's most influential country, as we throw away lives, strength, money, and prestige in Iraq like we had them all in infinite supply, is China.
The Chinese authorities secretly executed a man who took part in violent protests against a hydroelectric project in 2004, his lawyer said.
Chen Tao was among tens of thousands who demonstrated against the Pubugou dam in Sichuan province. Locals say the dam will displace 100,000 people.
The protests turned into a riot which left a policeman dead. Mr Chen was found guilty of killing the policeman.
Mr Chen's lawyer, Ran Tong, said he had not been allowed to attend his appeal.
'Tricked us'
Mr Ran said he heard about the execution when he went to the high court in Sichuan to ask about progress in the case.
"I am extremely angry about this because since the first trial (in April last year) I have repeatedly asked them for an appeal date and they have always told me that the case was being worked on," he told the French news agency AFP.
