Remember Ching Cheong, the Straits Times journalist locked up in China over allegations of espionage? The Chinese authorities have finally decided to press formal charges against him. The blogosphere is beginning to pick up the buzz all over again, if Technorati figures are anything to go by. « Peking Duck

The Times (London) reports:

Mr Ching, 55, has confessed to spying, including taking hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy classified and military secrets on behalf of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

He had been recruited in 2000 by officials of the island that Beijing claims as a renegade province, and had used the alias Chen Yuanchun to buy “a great deal of information about China’s political, economic and especially military affairs, including some classified as ‘top-secret’ or ‘confidential’”, Xinhua said.

[...]

Mr Ching could face the death penalty if convicted. Chinese courts rarely fail to achieve a conviction, but authorities have sometimes deported foreigners immediately after sentencing to try to limit foreign pressure.

A Google search for Chinese articles turned up an interesting blog dedicated to the accused. 拯救程翔 (Save Ching Cheong) has amassed a large quantity of information about the political prisoner, including news articles about his arrest and detention.