The family of jailed Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong petitioned Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen yesterday to raise the case with President Hu Jintao when they meet during an international forum this week.
At the same time, Ching's wife, fellow journalist Mary Lau Man-yee, said mainland sources had told her there was a chance Ching might be able to come home by the end of the year.
Holding a banner reading 'Just and open trial for Ching Cheong', a group of family and friends marched to the government headquarters and handed a petition to Mr Tsang, who will fly to Hanoi to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum meeting tomorrow and is expected to meet President Hu on Saturday.
They asked him to pass on the family's and public's discontent about Ching's conviction, and called on the central government to look into the 'malpractice of the investigation, the lack of proper evidence and the unfair handling of the case by the court'.
Mr Tsang, who received the petition before entering the government headquarters, nodded his head after hearing Lau's demands. She said the case was at a 'critical moment', as a judgment could be made any time this month on Ching's appeal against his conviction and five-year jail sentence for spying for Taiwan.
'Mr Tsang will soon go to the Apec and have chances to meet the state leaders. I hope he will try his very best to help us,' she said.
Lau refused to elaborate on why she believed her husband might return home this year.
