CHONGQING

Wrongfully-jailed man wins recompense

A man who served more than seven years in prison due to a miscarriage of justice has been awarded 137,208 yuan (US$16,570) in compensation, reports Chongqing Evening News.

Tong Limin, 41, moved into his elder brother Tong Weimin's home in late February, 1995. Nine days later, the maid, who had been missing since February 25, was found dead and dismembered at Tong Weimin's home.

Tong Limin was then taken into custody. While being tortured at the police station, Tong was forced to "confess" that he killed the maid.

In October 1999, the First Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing ruled that Tong had committed deliberate homicide and sentenced him to death with a two-year suspended execution. But Tong appealed and was judged innocent at a new hearing in October 2002.

HENAN

Job search proves

a tall order

A 2.1-metre tall man has been having trouble finding a suitable job, reports Henan Daily.

Cai Pingyi, of Xiongzhuang Village in Zhumadian City, Henan Province, has been a strain on his family's meagre finances since he was 10, due to his size and hearty appetite.

Having received just four years of education, Cai found work in Zhengzhou in early 1999 as an explosives discharger at a building site but was eventually replaced.

He then worked as a builder, but his boss never paid him on the excuse that Cai ate twice as much as others.

The 25-year-old man has sought help from an employment centre. "I'm just looking for a relatively stable job - I don't mind if it's hard or not - to earn some for my family and for my younger brother's education," he said.

GUIZHOU

Non-stop walking man's only cure

A 71-year-old man is suffering from a strange condition that has kept him walking virtually day and night for more than one year, reports Guizhou Metropolis News.

Long Yongming of Huishui County in Southwest China's Guizhou Province sought medical attention one and a half years ago about some gastric distress. But doctors at the county's hospital could not pinpoint the cause of Long's illness.

Eventually, the man discovered that if he kept walking, he felt better. Unfortunately, when he stops, he feels ill and is subject to fainting spells.

(HK Edition 11/12/2003 page3)