Foreign Office talks about British man's mysterious death

What's been remarkably noticeable about the death of Neil Heywood is that no one wants to talk on camera about the circumstances of his death.

The UK Embassy here is now referring questions about the circumstances surrounding his death to the London press office at the Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO).

The FCO is now not denying that the police chief in Chongqing, Wang Lijun, tried to have a meeting with diplomats at the UK Consulate back in early February. Government sources say he didn't come to the Consulate.

We do know he then pops up at the US Consulate in Chengdu, some 200 miles away. The suggestion is that Wang raised suspicions or concerns about the death of Neil Heywood.

As police chief of the city where the British man died he would have had access to important details about the case.

It's some time after Wang seeks asylum at the US Consulate, it's believed, when the UK Embassy asks the Chinese to investigate Neil Heywood's death.

Any investigation is going to be complicated by the fact that Mr Heywood's body was cremated soon after his death and no post mortem was carried out.

Today's The Times (£) says the UK Government has requested an investigation numerous times.