Parties unite over beating of journalists
City politicians from across the spectrum put on a rare show of unity yesterday in response to the beating of three Hong Kong journalists by police in Xinjiang last week.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong wrote to Vice-President Xi Jinping demanding an investigation, while the Liberal Party has demanded that Premier Wen Jiabao personally resolve the problem. The Democratic Party was staging an overnight protest outside the central government's liaison office.
Local delegates to the National People's Congress have meanwhile questioned the Xinjiang government's stance on the journalists' treatment and a senior local Beijing adviser said he would take the matter up with colleagues.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said he had 'reflected the strong concerns' expressed by the Hong Kong media over the incident to the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and to the Xinjiang authorities.
'We will maintain close contact with Beijing to ensure the safety of Hong Kong reporters, particularly those who work in [the Xinjiang capital] Urumqi and we will help them conduct interviews legally in the city,' Tsang said. He did not elaborate.
On Friday, TVB senior reporter Lam Tsz-ho, his cameraman Lau Wing-chuen and Now TV cameraman Lam Chun-wai were tied up, handcuffed and beaten by police while covering protests in Urumqi about a series of reported stabbings of people with hypodermic syringes. On Tuesday Hou Hanmin , director of the Xinjiang Information Office, accused the three of inciting protesters.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association said it would take action in light of the 'deep concerns' of journalists and others, and was talking to other groups representing journalists about what to do. Following the Xinjiang official's remarks on Tuesday, some journalists in Hong Kong have said their representatives should organise a demonstration - which would be a first for the city's journalists.
Politicians of all stripes, and Beijing advisers, demanded a just and speedy resolution of the row over the journalists' treatment.
The Democratic Party condemned the Xinjiang official's 'fabricated comments' and asked for clarification.
'The so-called facts claimed by Xinjiang are entirely against common sense. How can you believe them? How can people maintain confidence in the authorities enforcing the law if they fabricate a story?' chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said.
Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, a member of the Standing Committee member of the National People's Congress, challenged the findings of a Xinjiang government investigation of the incident. It had not substantiated its accusations against the three journalists. 'Do they have anyone giving evidence or did they obtain any proof? There is nothing. What [Hou] said yesterday was meaningless, as this investigation could neither prove Hong Kong journalists did wrong nor prove them right,' she said.
Chan Wing-kee, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said he would express his concern about the incident when the committee meets this month. Ma Fung-kwok, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, said the Xinjiang officials' accusations against the Hong Kong journalists did not make sense. 'They were just covering up their mistakes. I hope mainland authorities will clarify the matter soon,' he said.
Executive councillor Leung Chun-ying said the Xinjiang government would take the complaints seriously. Law-enforcement authorities should protect journalists' safety and should not resort to excessive force, he said.
Hou told Hong Kong reporters on Tuesday that their colleagues detained last week did not have valid credentials and were suspected of instigating protests. She criticised people in Hong Kong for making 'one-sided and subjective' comments.
TVB and Now TV have protested strongly about her claims.
Hong Kong journalists in Urumqi yesterday expressed fears for their safety, and many chose to avoid filming areas guarded by riot police.
'We only take a few photos in the city centre,' one said.
Another, who who will return to Hong Kong today, said: 'We worry that the authorities may accuse us of conducting interviews without authorisation. They may still catch you even if you have a press card.'
A third said there were heavy restrictions on what they could report about. 'For example, we cannot independently confirm a single syringe attack case, or interview a real attack victim, since the hospitals there are very tightly guarded,' she said.
Journalists have faced tight security for the past week. Overseas calls have been blocked and they can only access internet at the press centre. They must inform government press officers when they want to leave their hotels.
A journalist who flew to Guangzhou from Urumqi yesterday said a colleague was asked for his Hong Kong mobile phone number while conducting interviews at a Urumqi hospital. 'Three security police officers [who] stopped him told him not to conduct interviews [and] asked him for his number, saying they would like to exchange views with him later.'
