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Official: US probing beating of Chinese
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-07-28 08:46
A US State Department official said in Washington on Monday that Secretary of
State Colin Powell had a telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister
Li Zhaoxing over the beating of a Chinese tourist at Niagara Falls near
the US-Canadian border.
Adam Ereli, deputy spokesman of the State Department,
told a news briefing that "The Department of Homeland Security is
investigating the matter. We look forward to getting to the bottom of it as soon as
possible."
But the US official was reluctant to condemn the brutal beating by American
security officers.
In his telephone call with Powell, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing urged
the United States to carry out a serious and thorough investigation into the
beating incident.
The Chinese foreign minister demanded that "those responsible for the
incident should receive legal punishment". Powell responded to Li's requirement,
saying that he will inquire into the issue.
Zhao Yan, a Chinese business woman from Tianjin, was on her first US business
trip. She was attacked at Niagara Falls near the US-Canadian border on July 21
by officers of US Customs and Border Protection in disregard of normal checking
procedures.
On Friday, Zhao told a press conference that she and two friends were passing
a row of rooms when a uniformed officer waved to them to come in.
But she barely had time to react in the room when one of the officers pounced
at her and sprayed her with pepper spray. The officer then struck her head on
the ground while holding her hair and kicked her on the head when she was forced
to kneel on the ground.
Zhao had bumps and bruises on her face and head and her eyes were nearly
swollen shut. She was taken to hospital for treatment and later released.
The incident, however, put her to great panic and despair.
The officer, named Robert Rhodes, claimed he mistakenly believed Zhao was
involved in an illegal drug deal. In a written statement, he said he grabbed a
Chinese woman and two others ran when he asked them to come into the inspection
station, and sprayed her with pepper spray when she swung her arms at him.
Rohodes was charged Friday with violating Zhao's civil rights. If convicted
of the charge, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
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