Daily commentary about China by TIME correspondents.

Foreign Correspondets Club of China on Haraassment of Reporters in Tibetan Areas

Herewith a statement just issued by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China about the experiences of some of my colleagues reporting in Tibetan areas of China proper at this very sensitive time. The events are entirely predictable but no less dispiriting, particularly coming on the heels of a government crackdown on the ability of both Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan reporters to gather the news as well as the activities of the excellent group of native Chinese "assistants" who do so much to help foreign reporters do their jobs. Back to the future indeed.

 

MAR 9, 2009. The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China urges the Chinese government to halt a wave of detentions of journalists and open Tibetan areas for news coverage.   

Reporters from at least six news organisation have been detained, turned back or had their tapes confiscated in the past week as they tried to visit Tibetan areas of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai ahead of the one-year anniversary of the unrest in Tibet.

This contravenes regulations made permanent by the Foreign Ministry in Oct. 2008 that foreign reporters can travel freely without seeking prior permission everywhere outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Edward Wong and Jonathan Ansfield, two reporters for The New York Times, were detained by members of the People's Armed Police and the Public Security Bureau in Gansu Province for a total of 20 hours, starting on Feb. 27. They were then forced to stay overnight in Lanzhou and board a plane for Beijing the next morning. When Wong tried to take a photograph of one of his captors, he was struck on the arm and his camera was broken.

A Japanese traveling companion and a local driver were also detained with the two reporters during the same period. The driver was subjected to interrogation and threats.

On Mar. 9, Beniamino Natale, a reporter with Italy's ANSA news agency was detained with two colleagues for more than two hours in Guinan County, Qinghai after visiting a monastery.

The previous day, Isabel Hormaeche, a producer with Spanish broadcaster TVE and her team were detained by police in Ganzi, Sichuan province. Some of their reporting materials were confiscated and deleted. They were then escorted 200 kilometers out of the area.

Around the same time, Katri Makkonen of Finnish Broadcasting Company was repeatedly detained and followed on the road from Tongren to Xiningin, Qinghai. The police took her driver's driving licence and forced him to write a statement about where they had been and what they had done. "It is despicable that now that they can't make us leave, they instead start pressuring the Chinese who are with us," Makkonen said.

Associated Press reported that its journalists were detained twice in Sichuan in recent days. The FCCC has also received reports of three other cases of reporters being turned away from Xiahe, Gansu in late January.

No explanation has been given of the legal basis of the police actions.

"These detentions must stop," said Jonathan Watts, FCCC president. "The reporters are within their rights to visit Tibetan areas outside of the TAR. By locking up and blocking reporters, the security forces raise suspicions about their actions. The government should live up to its promise of openness in all of China, including TAR and other Tibetan areas." 

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  • 1

    I am quite sure that the Chinese government has authority to do whatever they have done to journalists and their assistance anywhere in China. And, in China, having the authority means it is right, appropriate, ethical, moral and for the best of the Chinese people, if not the world.

  • 2

    Interesting, I do believe the Chinese government has the right to detain someone if she/he is considered to be doing something harmful and stuff. These reporters are on the Chinese soil after all.

    Any other government would have done similarly I suppose. The only difference is maybe there's no such self-important "club" forcing that government to do this and that...Or, even if such club or organization do exist, TIME won't be that hyper-energetically reporting over such trivial incidents.

  • 3

    One more "five-jaio"!

  • 4

    Simon, thanks for what you are doing for Chinese people! Anyway, fighting the communism is the toughest task and the biggest duty of the whole human beings. Keep going! and all Chinese people will remember your efforts!

  • 5

    Insane!
    Fighting communism is the toughest task and biggest duty of the entire human being?
    Who the hell are you?
    Why could some believe in capitalism (and I am one of them, to be clear) and others should not be prohibitted from believing in communism?
    Is that what you CC believe what democracy is supposed to be?
    Is that what you CC believe what freedome is supposed to be?
    Get out!
    And try to think (if possible) ... certainly with brain not toe ... before coming back!

  • 6

    Correction:
    Why could some believe in capitalism (and I am one of them, to be clear) and others should be prohibitted from believing in communism?

  • 7

    I tend to agree with the statement ... provided that the reporters behave professionally and report without bias.

    One would have been afraid of a well rope for ten years if he was bit by a snake one day ... Our ancesters told us.

    And if a snake happens to be a poisonous one, then he may not have the opportunity to be afraid.

  • 8

    畜生!!又跳出来了!!没人想看你在吠什么! 能看懂你的话,如同人能听懂狗语!!

    大刀向五毛头上砍去!!

  • 9

    Hack the "five-jiaos"!!

  • 10

    Maybe a dozen of "five-jiao"'s usernames is just registered by one or perhaps a couple of guys wearing different coats, isn't it? That's not impossible! Such trick is often applied by the five-jiao to aggrandize their sounds.

  • 11

    That's the problem, johnsmith - the officials are mislead by Beijing to believe that cracking down and blacking out media is a good thing for China, when in fact it makes China look barely-more-advanced than Burma or North Korea. Irreparable damage has been done to China's reputation by this ridiculous, paranoid, old-fashioned approach to "embarrassing situations."
    =
    And, in China, having the authority means it is right, appropriate, ethical, moral and for the best of the Chinese people, if not the world.

  • 12

    "I do believe the Chinese government has the right to detain someone if she/he is considered to be doing something harmful and stuff. These reporters are on the Chinese soil after all.

    Any other government would have done similarly I suppose."

    But there are countries that are stupid enough to required good reasons to detain, and must release after 24 hours if not charged with a crime and have court permission to continue the detention. And these governments will face public outcry from their own citizens if these detentions were not justified. China is much more clever than these backward and stupid countries.

  • 13

    "That's the problem, johnsmith - the officials are mislead by Beijing to believe that cracking down and blacking out media is a good thing for China, when in fact it makes China look barely-more-advanced than Burma or North Korea."

    You are so wrong. 1.3 billion people would disagree with you. They will all think that this is a great move by the Chinese government, and think that any government not following the example of the Chinese government as stupid and crazy. And having a government that can ignore other peoples' right give Chinese face, and enhance their ego. And since the Chinese government only need to look good before Chinese people, this is a perfect system.

  • 14

    ---"a dozen of "five-jiao"'s usernames is just registered by one or perhaps a couple of guys"?

    You've finally found a reason for your hoursly barking to every trees. You know what? In a dog's eyes, all human being look the same. lol!

  • 15

    conscienceinchina

    following post was obviously only address to you:

    ---"a dozen of "five-jiao"'s usernames is just registered by one or perhaps a couple of guys"?

    You've finally found a reason for your hoursly barking to every trees. You know what? In a dog's eyes, all human being look the same. lol!

  • 16

    The livestock "laohong":

    You are the most idiotic one among all the five-jiaos(Wumaos, 五毛党). Why? Do you know the Chinese idiom "there's no silver but 300 lian(此地无银三百两)"? You admitted your identity so hurriedly and directly so that every one can look through you by just a glimpse. So, what have you barked here is meaningless. We are wondering whether you can get your jiao from your master.

  • 17

    残杀五毛而后快!

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