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FREED journalist Ching Cheong, 58, was given a rousing welcome by colleagues at The Straits Times on Thursday, in his first visit to the newsroom since his release from prison in China on Feb 5.
Mr Ching, a Chinese national who was accused of spying for Taiwan, told colleagues that his more than 1,000 days behind bars was made bearable with the support he received from Singapore Press Holdings.
He did not have to worry about his family's finances as SPH continued to pay his salary throughout his imprisonment. It also provided him with legal aid.
'That lawyer was my only link to the outside world, to my family,' said an emotionally-shaken Mr Ching, who had his wife Mary beside him.
The Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang described Mr Ching as the paper's best known reporter as a result of his incarceration, which drew global support from other journalists.
He is seen here presenting Mr Ching with a caricature of himself drawn by ST artist Ludwig Ilio.
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