'No death sentence for Lai'

A senior official of China's top corruption watchdog reiterated yesterday that Lai Changxing, an accused smuggler who is seeking refuge in Canada, would not be sentenced to death or tortured if he were repatriated.

Gan Yisheng, secretary-general of the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, told a news conference that the government would keep its promise not to execute Lai and denied that he would be tortured.

Gan urged Lai to give himself up and return to China.