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Chinese activist doctor still under house arrest

An elderly Chinese doctor remained under house arrest yesterday, despite promising not to travel to the US to accept an award for her AIDS activism work that has often embarrassed local authorities.

Gao Yaojie (高耀潔), 80, said three policemen were patrolling her home in central Henan Province and had stopped her when she tried to leave on Wednesday night.

Gao, who had exposed blood-selling schemes that infected thousands with HIV, is to be honored next month by Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nonprofit group supported by New York Democratic Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

She had apparently been detained by authorities at her home to prevent her from applying for a US visa.

Gao said she recently wrote a letter to the Henan Health Bureau indirectly promising that she would not travel to the US to pick up her award.

Gao said telephone service at her home was restored on Wednesday after being cut for 10 days.

On Monday, China praised Gao's work related to the disease in a public relations move criticized by fellow activists.

The Web site of the Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper showed a Lunar New Year visit to Gao's home on Monday by a provincial party deputy secretary.

The official, Chen Quanguo (陳全國), extolled her "long-standing contributions to our province's education, health and AIDS prevention work." A photo showed Gao accepting a parcel from him while other leaders smiled.
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