Release Sought of US Man in China

AP ^ | Friday, September 7, 2001

[JohnHuang2]

NEW YORK (AP) — Chinese authorities have been holding a 66-year-old American for the past 1 1/2 years on suspicion of gathering state secrets, an attorney for his family said Friday.

Fong Fuming, an electrical engineer from West Orange, N.J., was imprisoned in early 2000, said New York City lawyer Jerome Cohen.

``We would like to get him out of detention,'' Cohen said. ``He's being held in blatant violation of China's criminal procedure law.''

U.S. officials in Beijing said they trying to safeguard Fong's rights.

``The embassy has been working with Mr. Fong's attorneys, the prosecutors office and with his family to protect his rights as an American citizen detained in China,'' an embassy spokesman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

A U.S. diplomat has ``visited him frequently while in detention but we must respect his rights as an American citizen under the privacy act not to divulge any further information about his situation,'' the spokesman said.

Cohen said the family of Fong, a naturalized American, is breaking 18-months of silence in an effort to gain his release.

Most American families of Chinese descent who have relatives being held by Chinese authorities tend to remain quiet for long periods in the hope that the relative will eventually be released, Cohen said. But Fong's family has lost patience and decided to go public in an effort to bring the case to the attention of Chinese leaders, he said.

Fong's case is the latest of several involving the arrest of Chinese-born Americans on security grounds.

Cohen said Fong still hasn't been indicted.

``Eighteen months is more than an adequate time to determine whether a case should be brought against him,'' he said.

Chinese officials in Beijing weren't immediately available for comment.

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