12-29-2005

中國批日本有關外交官自殺指稱 (China Criticizes Japanese Allegations on Diplomat's Suicide)

中國對日本聲稱中國安全部門對去年一名日本外交官自殺事件負有部份責任一事發起猛烈抨擊。一名日本外務省發言人星期三說，中國特工為了獲取秘密資訊，要挾一名日本領事。這名領事官員在2004年5月自殺。報導援引日本外務省發言人的話說，那名外交官之死由“中國安全當局無法令人接受的行為”所導致。

中國外交部發言人星期四對這一指稱做出憤怒回應，指稱這是日本政府“刻意詆毀中國形像”的“惡意行為”。

北京和東京的關係近月來由於多起糾紛而惡化，其中包括兩國在東海天然氣資源分配以及日本首相小泉純一郎多次參拜供奉戰爭亡靈的靖國神社的爭端。

China has lashed out at Japan over allegations that Chinese security authorities were partly to blame for the suicide last year of a Japanese diplomat. On Wednesday, a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said the consular officer had killed himself in May 2004 after Chinese agents blackmailed him in order to obtain secret information. The Japanese spokesman was quoted as saying the diplomat's death was due to "an impermissible act by the Chinese security authorities."

China's Foreign Ministry Thursday responded angrily to the allegation, accusing Japan of "vile behavior" and deliberately trying to smear China's image.

Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have worsened in recent months over several disputes, including allocation of gas reserves in the East China Sea and the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japan's war dead.

韓警察總監因抗議者死亡辭職 (South Korean Police Chief Resigns Over Protesters' Deaths)

南韓警察總監因為兩名農民上個月在首爾抗議中被防暴警察毆打後死亡辭職。南韓總統盧武炫接受了許準榮的辭職。盧武炫曾就這起事件星期二公開道歉。一個人權小組的報告認為，那兩名農民是警察暴力的受害者，隨後要求許準榮辭職的公眾壓力越來越大。

許準榮起初拒絕辭職，但是他在星期四發表的聲明中說，他不想在政治繁忙時期成為總統的負擔。他再次為兩名農民抗議者之死表示道歉，不過他還說，他們的死是意外事故。

那兩名農民參加了反對南韓計劃向國際競爭開放大米市場的抗議。在11月中旬的衝突中，他們被警察打傷，幾個星期後死亡。

South Korea's police chief has resigned over the deaths of two farmers who were beaten by riot police at a protest in Seoul last month. Huh Joon-young's resignation was accepted by South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who made a public apology for the incident on Tuesday.

Mr. Huh faced growing public pressure to quit after a human rights panel said the farmers were victims of police brutality. He initially refused to step down. But in a statement Thursday, Mr. Huh said he did not want to be a burden on the president during a busy political period. He apologized again for the farmers' deaths, but he also said they were accidental.

The two farmers were protesting plans to open South Korea's rice market to international competition. They died several weeks after being beaten by police in the mid-November clash.