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Taiwan family take out advertisement to protest murder

Friends and family of a Taiwanese businessman killed by robbers took out a full-page newspaper advertisement yesterday to protest the South African government's failure to clamp down on crime.

Jung Feng, who owned a newspaper called China Express and was a prominent member of the ethnic Chinese community in South Africa, was killed at his home on May 2 when he disturbed a gang of four intruders.

"We are not whiners and nothing will ever dampen our love for South Africa as it is our country and our home, but crime plagues our daily lives and the government chooses to remain silent and turn a blind eye," the family wrote. "We ask you, President [Thabo] Mbeki, how many more must die before you will take action on what is long overdue."

There were 18,545 murders in South Africa in 2005 -- about 50 per day.

Although the murder rate has fallen in recent years, it has not dented the country's reputation as a crime capital of the world.

The government insists that it is serious about tackling violent crime, but some critics are not convinced.

"A bullet ripped his heart open. His wife and children had to watch him die whilst sitting in his blood,'' read the advertisement placed in the Citizen newspaper.

"This was how Gino Feng died ... when he tried to protect his family from intruding robbers. Gino's life was ended by a spineless criminal as if his life had no significance whatsoever," the advertisement continued.

Feng was known to his friends as Gino.

A memorial service for Feng is due to be held in Edenvale near Pretoria today, the South African Press Association reported.

Feng had reportedly lived in South Africa since the 1980s.
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