School children in UK know that Opium war with China is very shameful.

I read in Guardian, that there is no previous prove of his "mental illness". It all obviously started only after they found the heroin. Now, what should I think of that? I tell you: he was a british man bringing 4kg drugs to China. The end.

We are not fooled by the Chinese secret police posing as people on this site. We do not, in our OPEN society are not easily duped. It's a good job China is no longer communist and can no longer be regarded as such by international comrades. They bring shame on communism with their Stalinistic oppression.

there was a report on the BBC News last night about the near-extinction of black bears in russia. they are being murdered and their body parts sent to ... China. china is the world's most corrupt state: godless, cruel, totalitarian. pity future generations when china is the world's superpower. the US may be at times worthy of contempt, but at least it is a democracy, it has wonderful universities and newspapers, it has world class intellectuals, it has a spirit of free debate... long may the US rule over us rather than the diabolical Chinese...

Gee. Catching this so and so drug dealer before he facilitates the ruin of the Chinese youth speaks volumes for the Chinese government. This man is in his 50's for goodness sake, and he's managed to address life functionally at some level and now he won't function at any level. Try smuggling China's treasured porcelain out of the country and when caught you are immediately taken into a sideroom, given a trial of sorts and then executed, bang, bang. And well they should. Guess what, no smuggling for that would-be smuggler and a fine example for others. The message of a reality such as this is effective and curbs the enthusiasm for like deeds. Very effective. Forget about the mental illness drama. England has to put up a verbal blah blah - it looks good to the rest of the muslim community - and China knows it's politics and tongue in cheek. Don't screw with China!!!!!!!!!!!

China is still living in its barbaric past and I suspect it always will.

phowell

The West hadn't even apologized for colonialism, let alone reparations. What made you think Blair will answer (dearly, that is) for his actions in Iraq? They can continue their political grand standings all they want. I won't hold my breath.

The decision to execute Mr. Shaikh by the Chinese Government was a just one. All countries throughout the world should adopt such a policy for drug smuggling and acts of terrorism. The UK Government have become a laughing stock throughout the world for their lenient policies and political correctness.

I am bowing out. Happy propagandising. Here is another lesson for you lot. In the 21st century barbarians are lone cancers killing goodness. You are deluded if you think you are just. The rest of the civilised world rejects you. Murder is a dangerous business. Much worse than peddling drugs. Bye.

It is you who are not welcome because everybody recognises the brutality of your regime. How much do they pay faceless robots like you to peddle your propaganda. Please don't speak of morality. It was your abscestors that addicted many of mine to opium. The opium dens were not run by us and neither did we profit from them. Your government are hypocrites and you are nothing but a brainwashed fool. I pity you. Now please crawl back under your rock. As a communist I deplore you and on behalf of the workers of the world exile you to your delusions and oppressive practices which are contrary to being good and honorable. As for nit being welcome in YOUR country I consider that a compliment. Now off you go and torture someone for speaking their mind.

The point is not the crime of smuggling drugs in the point is the fact that the Chinese think it is fine to execute people willy-nilly and also think it ok not to take into consideration mitigating circumstances. What makes me laugh is that anyone here is expected to imagine that any of the people other than me are anything but drones employed by the Chinese government to peddle their propaganda. What would have been wrong with a long prison term once the special circumstances were taken into consideration. All the UK bashing is because the UK are not sitting and taking this outrage. Nobody in particular - do your family know what you do? Invade left wing British websites with your weird propaganda. The state probably paid for you to learn your English in one of our universities; since you don't have any of your own - due to the fact that they encourage freedom of thought and speech. Don't preach to us about decency. Tibet, T Square, Internet restrictions. Just go to bed propagandists, no REAL British people think you are right to do what you did. The only voices FOR your point of view are the sinister secret computer police writing on here.

Debord and Jason,

If I were Chinese spy, tell me where to collect my pay!

It's you two that remind us how phony some British are. I don't care if you don't kill your own people? You sure kill a lot of foreigners all over the world!

Maybe, if he were your son, most commenters here would show an ounce of compassion/humanity/integrity?
It is a simple and perhaps naive notion, but the fundamental problem with the Chinese Government alongside Western Governments is their complete inability to remain human where there is Power in it for them. The world will either burn up or get blown up before people realise that stalinistic faux-communism AND capitalism just DON'T work when they are put in place to organise living beings.
I am pretty anti people making a living out of feeding off of someone else's addiction without a care for what it could do to them - but killing such people off with no regard for the circumstances is no better. Preaching about it when your clothes are made in terrible conditions by Eastern 9 year olds is also no better.
The Chinese Gov't show the same disreagrd for humanity in this morning's execution as the West does in its faceless 'war on terror' and its brainless, capitalist lust for commodity.
The freedoms we have in the west just make us complacent, the freedoms the Chinese don't have make them ignorant and oppressed. Doens't take a genius to work out that we need to work out another way of doing things...? Preferably, we could do so *before* we kill any more people?

@Nobodyinparticular

A sensible person with an ounce of compassion/humanity/integrity would feel shameful if his/her son is a drug smuggler. That's the simple & common sense in the rest of the world, apparently not in the UK.

Akmal Shaikh did not cause the Opium Wars. It was wrong for China to punish a mentally ill man for what happened in the nineteenth century. I have many Chinese friends, but right now I'm very angry at the Chinese government.

Attention, drug dealer Debord!
Another of your fellow got caught in Taiwan.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1521984....

Spend some of your tax money to send in a decent lawyer for him, please. Oh, and don't forget to book a business flight to welcome him back to the UK as a national hero, after he serves his prison term.

@xzws

....You're a bit sick. Nobody has much time for you.

@Nobodyinparticular

Did I hit your weak spot? I am sorry, but is the truth so hard for you to swallow?

Goooooodness me, sorry for not randomly wanting to shoot people. I am back off to The Guardian, you're all a bit loopy over here. Liberals I can handle, but wanking off to the suffering of others, @xzws.... well, you must be very lonely.
Night.

Nobodyinparticular,

Until all the Western governments apply the same compassion to every foreign country instead of your selective ones, then I can agree with you. Otherwise, tough.

I too grew up in Hong Kong. The Brits there thought they were so darn special. Most of them lived away from the Chinese, up the hill. Some lived there for a few generations but managed not to know a darn word of Chinese. Talk about amazing.

In Macao, the Portugese integrated much better with locals. intermarraiage was very common. Many spoke perfect Chinese.

Shame on the British.

Jeez, Jason, can you please take a chill pill? This inflammatory language just turns into China-bashing and gets us no-where. One could argue that the Chinese have never bombed a million Iraqis into oblivion.

The death penalty is appalling wherever it is. I prefer today's Independent leader article for its balance and refusal to let anyone off the hook:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-wh...

KK

I sincerely hope the independent board will make him answer for his actions in Iraq. He now longer has the influence he once did to silence his critics, e.g. Dr David Kelly.

As for colonialism - I dont think there will ever be an apology for that - I think "it wasnt on our shift" would be the response.