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Activist Yao Lifa goes missing from home a day after his release

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Detained rights activist Yao Lifa returned home briefly at the weekend but his wife was unsure of his whereabouts after he left home for work yesterday.

Yao, 53, a primary school teacher and activist in Qianjiang , Hubei , was taken away on June 20 and did not return home until late on Sunday - more than 10 weeks after going into detention.

His wife, Feng Ling, said she suspected Yao's detention was meant to stop his campaigning for district-level elections during the summer holiday.

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He won a seat as an independent candidate in a local people's congress election in Qianjiang in 1999.

Feng said Yao suffered stomach pain while in detention on Friday and was sent to a nearby hospital.

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He was diagnosed with an inflamed gall bladder and discharged two days later.

But early yesterday morning, about a dozen men went to their home asking Yao to go back to the school where he worked. Feng said Yao called her later saying that he would not be able to return home for lunch.

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