The prime suspects in the 2002 murder of 21-year old Amanda Zhao have been arrested in China.

RCMP E division Corp. Annie Linteau confirmed that Zhao's boyfriend, Ang Li, 26, and his 26-year-old cousin, Han Zhang, were arrested by Chinese authorities over the summer.

"They are facing charges under Chinese law," Linteau said. "We did not play any role in the arrests."

Linteau said RCMP have met with their Chinese counterparts on numerous occasions over the past few months, basically showing them "the evidence available to them to help facilitate some of their discussions with the Canadian government."

Zhao, Li and Zhang, all Chinese nationals, shared a basement suite in North Burnaby while they were foreign students. Li reported Zhao missing in October 2002, claiming she went to the grocery store for some cooking oil but never returned. Over a week later, her body was found stuffed in a suitcase in the woods around Stave Lake, near Chilliwack.

Days later, Li fled to China. He was charged in absentia with second-degree murder seven months later. Without an extradition treaty with China, the Canadian government was not able to bring Li back to stand trial.

Zhang stayed in B.C. and eventually pleaded guilty to helping dispose of Zhao's body. He was acquitted in court after the judge deemed his confession had been improperly obtained. He, too, then returned to China.

Last year, Zhao's aging parents made their first visit to the Lower Mainland, with the cost covered by community agencies. They pleaded with Canadian officials to settle their jurisdictional disputes so the suspects could be arrested and prosecuted.

Burnaby-Douglas MP Bill Siksay, one of the local politicians advocating on behalf of Zhao's family, said MLA Jenny Kwan had received an email from a relative of Zhao.

In it, they said Canadian Consulate staff and Chinese police had informed them of Zhang's arrest in June and Li's arrest in Beijing in July. They were also told Li will not be sentenced to the death penalty if convicted.

"Everybody's very relieved that there's been at least this movement in the case after such a long, long time," Siksay said.

"It seemed like such a hopeless task there for such a long time, that there was no way around the distances involved and the differences in the justice system and that the longer it took, it seemed less likely something would move. So I'm pleasantly surprised that there is this change in the case."

wchow@burnabynewsleader.com