April 21, 2008
The New Express today ran a front page story about Tan Jing (谭静) with the title “Farewell to Tan Jing, the three Koreans were absent [from Tan’s memorial meeting]”. Tan was a model and actress who was found dead on the morning of April 5 in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou.
The death of Tan was first reported by the New Express on April 6, with a shocking title “Half naked woman dropped from thirty-floor of Dongfeng Plaza, three foreigners suspected of throwing her out” (东风广场女子半裸30楼坠亡 疑被三个老外扔出). The identity of Tan was later confirmed as a model and actress, instead of prostitute, as previously speculated by the newspaper. But the cause of her death is still unsettled.
According to a police report, Tan dropped out of the window of the toilet of the thirtieth floor apartment and hit a beam sticking out of the building on which her body was later found. The previous night three men of Korean nationality has been with Tan in the apartment, but no evidence has showed that they were involved in Tan’s death. The autopsy showed no sign of sexual intercourse and ruled out the possibility of sexual abuse. The report also says that Tan’s body alcohol level was 300, which indicated the she was drunk before death. Police concluded that Tan jumped to her death under the influence of alcohol.
Online speculation (e.g. this Tianya post in Chinese) doubts the police’s conclusion and tends to believe that the three Korean men were involved in Tan’s death, and that the police deliberately tried to cover up truth. There are different conspiracy theories currently circulating on the Internet. Most accuse the Chinese government of giving foreigners “exemption from legal punishment” and placating foreigners to avoid a break-out of nationalist sentiment to maintain stability during the sensitive period of run-up to the Olympic Games.
Today’s article quotes Tan’s mother saying she did not believe her daughter would commit suicide. She also denied the rumor that Tan was habitually drunk. Some of Tan’s friends have also pledged to find out the truth behind her death, and refuse to cremate her body.