China Slaps Exit Ban on Wife, Son of Defected Former Journalist

Authorities in the southern province of Guangdong have prevented the wife and son of a former columnist at a top Chinese newspaper from leaving the country to join him after his defection. Li Xin, rights activist and writer for the cutting-edge Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, fled to India three months ago after being recruited by China's state security police to spy on his fellow activists. His wife Shi Sanmei and the couple's infant son were stopped by border officials in the southern city of Shenzhen on Saturday after they tried to cross into neighboring Hong Kong, which has maintained its own internal immigration border since its 1997 handover to Chinese rule. Read more