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DATE=11/25/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-242125 TITLE=CHINA / INTERNET TRIAL (L-ONLY) BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE TRIAL OF A MAN IN POLICE CUSTODY, WHO IS ACCUSED OF SELLING E-MAIL ADDRESSES TO AN OVERSEAS CHINESE DISSIDENT ORGANIZATION, HAS BEEN POSTPONED. AS VOA'S STEPHANIE HO REPORTS FROM BEIJING, THE MAN'S WIFE SAYS SHE WAS GIVEN NO REASON FOR THE DELAY. TEXT: THE TRIAL OF LIN HAI, WHICH WAS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN ON THURSDAY, HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE 30-YEAR-OLD SOFTWARE ENGINEER IN SHANGHAI HAS BEEN IN POLICE CUSTODY SINCE MARCH, CHARGED WITH "SUBVERSION OF STATE POWER. " HE IS ACCUSED OF PROVIDING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF E-MAIL ADDRESSES TO AN ONLINE PRO-DEMOCRACY CHINESE NEWSLETTER, THAT IS PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE SHANGHAI FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE HAD SAID FOREIGN JOURNALISTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND HIS TRIAL BECAUSE IT INVOLVES STATE SECRETS AND, THEREFORE, WILL NOT BE OPEN. ON WEDNESDAY, A SPOKESMAN AT THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE HAS HEARD OF LIN HAI'S CASE, BUT DOES NOT KNOW WHY IT WAS DELAYED. MR. LIN'S WIFE, ANGELA XU (XU HONG), SAYS HER HUSBAND'S LAWYER NOTIFIED HER OF THE POSTPONEMENT WEDNESDAY MORNING. // XU CHINESE ACT -- IN FULL, FADE OUT // THERE WAS NO NEW DATE FOR THE TRIAL, SHE SAYS, BECAUSE SHE WAS TOLD IT IS STILL BEING DETERMINED. SHE ADDS THAT ALTHOUGH SHE WAS GIVEN NO OFFICIAL REASON FOR THE DELAY, SHE BELIEVES IT HAS TO DO WITH THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION HER HUSBAND'S CASE HAS BEEN GETTING IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA. // XU CHINESE ACT -- IN FULL, FADE OUT // MS. XU SAYS SHE WAS ALSO TOLD SHE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE TRIAL, BUT THAT SHE WAS PLANNING TO BE OUTSIDE OF THE NUMBER ONE INTERMEDIATE COURT HOUSE WITH SEVERAL JOURNALISTS. A REPORTER WHO TRIED TO SPEAK TO THE TWO OFFICIALS HANDLING LIN HAI'S CASE AT THE SHANGHAI INTERMEDIATE COURT WAS TOLD THE PAIR DO NOT WORK THERE. MS. XU SAYS HAS NOT SEEN HER HUSBAND SINCE HE WAS TAKEN BY POLICE EIGHT MONTHS AGO. SHE SAYS SHE HOPES HE WILL BE FREED SOON, BUT SAYS SHE THINKS THE CHANCE OF THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENING IS VERY SLIM. (SIGNED) NEB/HO/FC 25-Nov-98 5:35 AM EST (1035 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .