Waching daily Apr 10 2017

Tom Scott and Carol Browning, the two organizers of the Australian study tour, had left early

that morning, before the bodies had been found, on a planned research trip to Anhui province

in central China.

All the other foreigners staying in the compound had been asked to wait in the dining hall

until the police had finished interviewing them.

Sandra Lewis, the American English teacher, walked a few paces behind the young police

officer as he led her along the veranda to the meeting room.

The silver charm bracelet she wore jingled as she went.

The officer knocked briskly on the door, which was then opened by Superintendent Lu.

'Please come in and sit down, Mrs Lewis, I hope you will excuse my poor English,'

said Xueli.

'Not at all and please call me Sandy.

This is a terrible thing, isn't it, how can I help you?'

After introducing herself, Xueli continued, 'I am trying to understand why this happened

and whether there was anything in the behavior of either Professor Shigo or Song Hua that

might explain their deaths.

Did you speak to Professor Shigo at the banquet?'

'I believe Professor Shigo's English was very good, but he was a really quiet man,

he seemed really reserved.

I've never spoken with him at all, I'm sorry.'

'So neither you nor your husband ever visited him in his apartment?'

'Oh no, never, we hardly ever saw him.'

'Both you and your husband were at the banquet?'

Sandra Lewis, a big woman in her mid-forties, shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

'Well, Don did perhaps come a little late.'

'Why was that?'

'Well, he had to go into town on business.'

'What business was that, Mrs Lewis?'

'He was picking up one of those cute little seals a fella there was making for him.

I think everyone who comes to China probably likes to get a seal carved, don't you?

They're so traditional and all and just great to stamp your letters with!'

'What time did he get to the banquet?'

'I guess, about a half hour after it started.

It took a little longer than he thought, you see his Chinese is not so good either, even

though it's much better than mine.'

Sandra Lewis smiled at Xueli.

'And Song Hua?

Did you speak to her at the banquet?

'No, she was sitting on the other side of the room.'

'I understand there was a party in the evening after the banquet,' Xueli said.

'Did you notice anything unusual in Song Hua's behavior?'

'Well not at the time, but I was really really surprised about what happened, because

I thought she'd gone home sick very early in the night.'

'Why did you think that, Mrs Lewis?'

'Well, just after we got to the party, Song Hua said she had a bad headache and she thought

she'd go home.

I said I had a headache powder that I could give her and so we went to my apartment, we're

on the second floor you know.

But she still insisted on going home even after she took the powder.'

Sandra Lewis paused and then said quickly, 'that couldn't have been any later than

half six, I really thought she'd gone home.'

'Did she say what had caused her headache?

Was she worried about something?'

Sandra Lewis considered this and then said, 'she seemed a bit preoccupied, but I wouldn't

say worried.

I didn't get the impression that it was a very bad pain, in fact she seemed in quite

good spirits.'

'And so Song Hua spoke English well?'

'I don't know that I'd say "well", but, yes Superintendent her English wasn't

too bad, I suppose.

It was a little rusty.

She told me she learnt it before the war.'

Sandra Lewis paused for a moment, looked at Xueli and smiled, before looking away and

adding, 'well, between you and me, she was very rusty,

and I don't speak much Chinese so our conversations were really very limited.'

'What time did you and your husband leave the party Mrs Lewis?'

'We both had to teach in the morning, so we left around ten.

We needn't have bothered though; we were awake 'til about midnight, with all the

noise.'

'Then it was a loud party?'

'Yes, those Australians really know how to party!

There was a lot of singing and laughing, and it sounded like dancing as well.

They also have the apartment opposite us so there was a lot of coming and going on the

stairs.

But they're such nice kids, we didn't really mind.'

'Did you hear any noise coming from the down stairs apartment?

You are directly above Professor Shigo's apartment I think.'

'Yes that's right, but no, we didn't hear anything.'

'Thank you for your help Mrs Lewis.

I hope you are enjoying your teaching here.'

For the first time Sandra Lewis seemed to relax.

'Oh Superintendent, we're having a ball, you know, a really good time,' she enthused,

'this is a dream come true for us, Superintendent!

The students and everyone are just so lovely, people couldn't be nicer to us.'

'Thank you again, Mrs Lewis.'

'I'm glad if I've helped Superintendent, this is just such a tragedy.

But I must say your English is just wonderful.'

Sandra Lewis smiled again as she left the room.

Lu Chen's ability to speak and understand English was limited, but he was still able

to observe, as he abstractly lit a cigarette, 'that was one very nervous lady.'

Xueli had to agree.

By 8 o'clock that evening they had finished interviewing all the foreigners who had been

waiting in the dining hall.

But Xueli felt she was still no further ahead.

Nobody had been either willing or able to fill her in on the movements of Professor

Shigo or Song Hua during the night of their deaths.

However it was clear that the deaths had come as a complete shock to the study group students,

though the two youngest, Sue Tanaka and Rachel Cohen, were obviously excited by the novelty

of being interviewed by a Chinese policewoman.

Particularly when she had made it very clear that under no circumstances were they to discuss

the deaths with anyone; especially not in their letters home or during overseas phone

calls.

For more infomation >> The Song of Enduring Sorrow － Chapter 3 - Duration: 8:53.

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There Is Nothing We Can Do - Duration: 0:49.

I'm a man who got circumcised in 1990

and where I speak now, I am HIV-positive.

If safe male circumcision

or traditional circumcision was all the best

then I would not be HIV-positive.

Are circumcised people dying of HIV?

So many. Many of them have died of HIV.

And this is very true.

People are dying of HIV even though they are circumcised.

But because it has now gone ahead to be implemented by government and some other institutions

there is nothing we can do in it, just to agree and go by it.