Murdered Chinese couple’s life came to a brutal end

Aug 12 2008 by Paul James, The Journal

Scared students cancel plans to come to city

CHINESE students are cancelling their applications to study in the UK after the weekend’s brutal murders, according to reports.

Xin Yang, a student studying at Newcastle University, said there are more than 200 Chinese students living in the area.

On an internet forum he said a lot of them were considering moving away from the West End as many have been harassed by local teenagers and described the security situation as "not satisfactory".

Xin said he had received e-mails from China telling him that some of the students who are preparing to study in Newcastle have changed their minds and are considering shifting to other cities, or even countries, for their overseas education.

Meanwhile, Gin, from Edinburgh, posted the following note on a forum: "So far some local teenagers often made some verbal abuse which is still an acceptable level.

"But this has gone too far. I don’t really understand how this can happen.

"I received many phone calls from my parents and my friends in Asia and it is true that some students preparing to come to the UK to study are cancelling their applications.

"I hope the British Government can do something about it, especially for foreign students and neighbourhoods where many foreign students live.

"Also, they should remember that by paying over £10k (which is much, much more expensive than tuition for local people), foreign students expect at least to have a secure feeling while staying in UK."

But Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs, said the UK was still one of the safest places to study worldwide.

"My view is the same as it was after the two French students were killed," he said. "I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest that these people were singled out because they were students, or even because they were foreign."

His sentiments were echoed by Newcastle University which released a statement saying: "The university has been deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of the weekend, and we recognise that it is bound to have caused concerned among current and prospective students and their families.

"Northumbria Police are reminding people that Newcastle is one of the safest places in the country to live, and we will do what we can to reassure them that incidences of violent crime against students in Newcastle are extremely rare."

Curch support

PASTOR Eddy Tang, of the Inter- national Christian Fellowship for Newcastle, joined police at the Press conference yesterday to pledge his community’s support to the murder investigation.

He said members of his church had known the victims and said the murders were having a profound effect on Newcastle’s Chinese population.

He said: "A lot of students are new to the area and living in the West End of Newcastle, like the victims. They heard about two Chinese students being killed in their own home. If you are newly arrived to a country that will be enough to scare you. That is the atmosphere at the moment among the Chinese student community."

Police appeal to the public

Northumbria Police are appealing to the public to answer a series of questions:

Did you know Zhen Yang or Xi Zhou?

Did you see or hear from Zhen Yang or Xi Zhou last week?

Are you aware of a reason or motive for this attack?

Can you help to trace anyone visiting, living or staying at 8 Croydon Road within the last 12 months?

Did you see or hear any screams or suspicious activity coming from 8 Croydon Road last week?

Do you have any information whatsoever which could help police find those responsible for this senseless killing?

You can contact:

The Murder Incident Room on 08456 043043, ext. 62832.

Northumbria Police switchboard on 08456 043043 or 03456 043043.

Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.