Chinese leader near death

Zhao Ziyang, the former Chinese Communist Party chief who was purged for sympathising with the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, lay in a deep coma yesterday and could die at any time, a source close to his family said. Zhao, now 85, was ousted in 1989...

Zhao Ziyang, the former Chinese Communist Party chief who was purged for sympathising with the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, lay in a deep coma yesterday and could die at any time, a source close to his family said.

Zhao, now 85, was ousted in 1989 for opposing the army crackdown on the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and remains a politically sensitive figure 15 years on due to government fears that his death might spark a sudden groundswell of protest.

Sources said Zhao was in a deep coma in a Beijing hospital after suffering multiple strokes.

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