Health of Reporter Jailed by China Worsens

The health of a reporter for a Singapore newspaper who was jailed by China on a charge of spying is deteriorating in prison.

The health of a reporter for a Singapore newspaper who was jailed by China on a charge of spying is deteriorating in prison, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said on Saturday, urging his release on medical parole.

Ching Cheong, a Hong Kong-based China correspondent for the Straits Times, has been detained in China since April 2005.

He was sentenced to five years in jail last August in a high-profile cases underscoring China's curbs on the media and dissent.

In an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said Ching has been suffering from arrhythmia and the group recently learned that his illness has deteriorated rapidly in jail.

"Irregular heartbeat occurs daily now. The Chinese herbal medicine which he is taking constantly keeps his blood vessels from dilating, a condition which will cause further problems later," the group said in a news release.

The release also said a doctor has also found polyps in Ching's intestine.

"This problem has not been taken care of. These polyps may become cancerous in few years' time, thereby endangering his life," the statement said.

Ching was charged with spying for Taiwan, the self-ruled island over which Beijing claims sovereignty. He was detained in the southern province of Guangdong where, his wife has said, he had travelled to collect documents related to disgraced former Chinese Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang.