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Tuesday, 13 June, 2000, 12:22 GMT 13:22 UK
China to execute deported immigrant
Illegal Chinese immigrants
A growing number of illegal Chinese immigrants head for Canada
By Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Beijing

A Chinese man who was expelled from Canada as an illegal immigrant last year has been sentenced to death in China.

The 36-year-old man was found guilty of embezzling about $200,000 of public money from a bank in eastern China where he worked in 1990.

He then fled to Canada, where he managed to stay for the next eight years, until he was expelled as an illegal immigrant in January 1999.

Once back in China, Mr Fang was arrested and put on trial.

Now he has been sentenced to death.

Illegal immigrants

A spokesman for the Canadian embassy in Beijing told reporters it was probable immigration authorities were unaware Mr Fang might face the death penalty when they decided to expel him.

Nevertheless, the case is sure to raise questions about Canada's efforts to repatriate an ever increasing number of illegal Chinese immigrants arriving in the country.

Canada has sent convicted murderers back to face the death penalty in countries with which it has an extradition treaty.

But Canada and China have no extradition treaty - and as this case shows, China executes people for a whole range of crimes, many of them economic.

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See also:

01 Feb 00 | Asia-Pacific
China defends execution record
29 Apr 00 | Asia-Pacific
Canada berates Vietnam over execution
28 Sep 99 | Asia-Pacific
Rights groups criticise China
29 Dec 98 | Asia-Pacific
China sentences bank hackers to death
Links to all Asia-Pacific stories are at the foot of the page.


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