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A HONG KONG journalist, who claims he was beaten up and detained by nightclub staff in a five-star Beijing hotel, has sought police intervention because he says he fears for his life.

   Wang Jianmin, a senior correspondent for Yazhou Zhoukan, the Chinese edition of Asiaweek, yesterday claimed that his hand had been sprained when five nightclub workers grabbed him in the lobby of the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday night.

  'I was taking photographs of some girls and other happenings around the entrance of the [Passion] nightclub,' he said from Beijing.

  'Suddenly the men came forward and pushed me down. They snatched my camera and took out the film.

  'One of them even threatened that they could make sure I didn't leave China alive,' Wang said.

  The journalist, who was staying in the hotel, said he had visited the club and watched its clientele, as there had been allegations the venue was used as a pick-up spot by prostitutes.

  Wang also alleged that he had been hit, abused and briefly detained in the nightclub on Monday night.

    'I was slapped on the face twice by a man who they said was drunk,' he said. 'Then I was not allowed to leave for 11/2 hours.

  'I did nothing wrong and violated no rules. They ignored that I was the victim and being hit . . . they just infringed my rights.'   The journalist said he had filed a complaint to the police unit in charge of foreign hotels in Beijing and demanded that the club personnel apologise and pay him compensation.

  'The police have come to deal with the case today. They promised to make the club offer me an apology,' claimed Wang, who will return Hong Kong tomorrow.

  A nightclub staff member yesterday denied that Wang had been assaulted or detained.

  'No such thing happened . . . our club does not allow people to take any pictures,' he said.

  'A notice is placed at our entrance.'   The hotel management has indicated that it has no control over the club, which is run by the Taiwanese-owned Chang Tai Entertainment Investment Company.



Journalist alleges club staff attack