Police say 88 suspects in Lhasa violence still at large
April 19, 2008
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6395341.html
Police are still searching for 88 suspects who were heavily involved
in the March 14 riot in downtown Lhasa, a public security official
said here on Friday.
"We have sufficient evidence against 170 people, 82 of whom have been
formally arrested, but the remaining 88 are still at large," the vice
director of Lhasa's public security bureau, Jiang Zaiping, said at a
press conference.
He declined to give details on the evidence or the legal proceedings
against those arrested.
Of the 82 arrested, Jiang said 11 had surrendered to police.
To date, 365 suspects in the riot have surrendered to police, of whom
at least 328 were freed because of the minor nature of their offenses
and willingness to cooperate in the police investigation, said Jiang.
"The absolute majority of the suspects have pled guilty, and many of
them were cheated or pressured into the sma****ng, beating, looting and
arson. Some turned in their collaborators," he said.
Many citizens in Lhasa also provided clues to help the investigation.
"Some helped police identify the suspects and others even accompanied
investigators to the suspects' possible hideouts," said Jiang.
He said Lhasa has basically restored social order and promised that
his department will strive to fight crime and make the citizens feel
safer.
In the latest move to speed up the city's reconstruction, the
municipal government earmarked 1 million yuan (143,000 U.S. dollars)
to build new homes for the 59 people whose houses on the downtown East
Beijing Road were burned down by mobs.
These people, in 10 families, are expected to move into their new
homes in October, a government spokesman said on Friday.
Source: Xinhua
|
