A Chinese expert in bamboo and rattan weaving technology has expressed disappointment over delay in the hearing of a case in which his deputy was killed last July.

 

Li Chong Lin is the leader of the Chinese-aided Bamboo, Rattan and Weaving Technical Corporation providing assistance to Liberia. His deputy, Mrs. Jiang Chongyu, was stabbed to death at the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC) on July 24, 2007. A former combatant, Mohamed Kanneh, was arrested as a suspect.

 

Mr. Li says his disenchantment is born out of concerns being expressed by aggrieved relatives in China over the failure by the authorities to try the case. "The relatives and the Chinese people are aggrieved by the murder of Princess. They always call us to find out about the outcome of the case," he told reporters at the SKD stadium yesterday.

 

After the murder, the Chinese technical team moved their activities from Gardnersillve to the football stadium in Paynesville for security reasons.

 

Li made it clear that although the incident shocked the Chinese people both in Liberia and their homeland, they remain committed to contributing their quota to building the capacity of the Liberian youth. But he pleaded that the case should be dispensed with in the interest of justice and fair play.

 

"Princess tried her best to improve the technical capacity of the Liberian youth by imparting in them the skills that will allow them make a sustainable living," the Chinese expert explained. "But," he recalled, "She was suddenly killed while serving the Liberian people." Despite the incident, he said, they would do their best to fulfill their promise to the Liberian people.

 

Meanwhile, one of the students undergoing the technical training, Saye Musa. has called for a speedy trial of the case. He said it has been nearly one year since the murder incident occurred. "We are looking for a result of this case so that the people of China can know that there is a justice system in Liberia," Musa told reporters.

 

Source: The Daily Observer Newspaper (May 21, 2008)