California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Asylum Bid Snags Smuggling Trial

Three men accused of smuggling heroin from China sewn inside the bellies of goldfish have asked that the case be dismissed because a prosecution witness from China has asked for political asylum. U.S. District Judge William Orrick set Monday for a hearing on how to proceed with the trial. Shanghai witness Wang Zong Xiao threw the trial into turmoil last week when he asked for asylum, claiming he was told to lie about portions of the smuggling case and to refuse to talk about prison conditions in China. Orrick placed Wang under court protection until the resolution of his asylum request, now pending before the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, to prevent his sudden return to China. The State Department refused to comment on the case, but is expected to review and recommend how to handle Wang’s request. The Chinese Consulate in San Francisco condemned Orrick’s action as “utter defiance of basic international laws and norms governing international relations.” Wang said in a written statement that he was beaten and tortured in Shanghai during 1988 and witnessed the beating and torture of pro-democracy students and journalists while he was held by the Public Security Bureau. He also said he was ordered not to discuss the conditions in Shanghai and fears for his life if he is returned to China.