内容:
RCMP appeals to mystery witness in Zhao case
Police think someone has information about Wei Amanda Zhao's murder
Petti Fong
Vancouver Sun
Friday, October 25, 2002
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The Burnaby RCMP is pleading for help from a witness they believe has pertinent
information about the disappearance and murder of Burnaby student Wei Amanda Zhao.
"We know there is a certain individual out there with information about this case,"
said Constable Andrea Hills. "We appeal to that person to call us."
Hills said she wants to assure the witness that his or her privacy will be protected.
Zhao's body was discovered Sunday at Stave Lake in Mission. She had been reported
missing by her boyfriend Ang Li Oct. 9.
Zhao, a 21-year-old Coquitlam College student, arrived in Vancouver from Beijing in
July 2001 to pursue an education and learn English. Around 8 p.m. on Oct. 9, she left
the Burnaby basement apartment she shared with Li, 18, to go to the supermarket 12
blocks away.
She was never seen alive again.
Li, a Simon Fraser University student who met Zhao eight months ago, left the country
Wednesday afternoon for China. Police have said that Li is not a suspect.
"At this point, Mr. Li is a witness and complainant in this file," said Hills. "And
there is nothing to stop him from leaving the country."
Li, who initially talked to reporters about his girlfriend's disappearance, left a
voice mail message on his machine after the identification of Zhao's body, berating the
media for harassing him. He said there has been no consideration for his feelings.
The spokesman for the Chinese government's office in Vancouver said Thursday that Li, a
citizen of China, can leave Canada and enter his home country at any time.
Consul Yong Zhou also clarified statements made to The Vancouver Sun Wednesday and said
the Chinese government is not filing a complaint against the RCMP at this time
regarding investigators' handling of Zhao's disappearance.
The RCMP waited almost a week after Zhao was first reported missing before publicizing
her photo. Under international consul protocol, the consulate must be contacted within
48 hours if one of its citizens is part of a police investigation.
But Zhou said Thursday the consulate wants the focus now to be on the police
investigation.
"We have to let the RCMP do their job," said Zhou. "It's more important now for the
RCMP to do what they need to do to solve this tragic case."
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa released a statement late Thursday saying that since the
beginning of the year, four Chinese nationals living in Canada have been murdered.
"The Chinese embassy has expressed its concern to the departments concerned in the
Canadian government through appropriate channels, calling on the Canadian government to
attach great importance to these grave developments, and take specific measures to
prevent the recurrence of the vicious crimes. . . . "
The statement also said the "Canadian side should act promptly to solve the cases,"
and "expeditiously report, in accordance with international practices, to the Chinese
embassy and the Chinese consulates generals concerned all the cases involving the
personal safety of Chinese nationals residing in Canada."
Students from China studying in Canada are still very concerned about their safety,
Consul Zhou said.
But police have repeatedly stated that Asian women are not being targeted, despite a
number of high-profile cases, including one in May against Korean student Ji-Won Park,
who was severely injured after being attacked in Stanley Park while jogging.
Officials and students at Coquitlam College, where Zhao attended school, have started a
trust fund to help her family, who are still in Beijing.
In an interview from their home Thursday, Zhao's mother said the family has decided not
to come to Canada right away.
"It is meaningless to come to Canada only to deal with a funeral service in a rushed
way," said Zhao's mother. "Without knowing who the murderer is, it wouldn't be
respectful."
Zhao's father is now gravely ill after hearing about their daughter's death, she said.
The family desperately wants a breakthrough in the case so they can discover who killed
Wei Amanda Zhao.
"We don't want to just bury Zhao Wei's body without knowing who murdered her," she
said.
Another trust fund has been set up for the family by members of the Chinese community.
An anonymous donor has said he will pay for two round-trip tickets for Zhao's family to
travel to Vancouver. Donations can be made to the Canada TD Bank at Main and Pender.
The account number is 0044-5204-740.
Meanwhile, an international student who was reported missing Thursday after not being
seen for over a week, has been located.
Xiasi Xie, 23, a first-year graduate student at the University of B.C., was reported
missing to the campus RCMP detachment just before 12:30 p.m. after two of her roommates
were concerned they had not seen her in more than a week.
The RCMP held a press conference about the missing girl Thursday afternoon, but a short
time later reported she had been found.
Xie, also known as Vivian, had been attending an international conference on campus. |
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