Hong Kong journalists held in Shenzhen 'because magazines have mainland subscribers'

Two Hong Kong journalists were detained in Shenzhen for "operating illegal publications" because they sold political magazines to two subscribers and to casual buyers on the mainland, a lawyer for one of the pair said.

Veteran journalist Wang Jianmin, a publisher of two Chinese-language magazines in Hong Kong, New-Way Monthly and Multiple Face, and his colleague Guo Zhongxiao were detained by police on May 30, Wang's lawyer, Chen Youxi, confirmed yesterday.

Shenzhen police announced the arrests a week ago but did not name the two.

Observers said the charge was merely an excuse to crack down on external publications critical of state leaders. The two publications are among a raft of political gossip magazines popular with mainland visitors to Hong Kong for their wild speculation about power struggles, corruption and the secret lives of leaders.

Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, a professor of political science at City University, said the detention was a warning to publishers.

"I do believe the Chinese authorities are quite concerned [with] their image. They believe the revelations [by those publications] damaged the reputation and image of many top leaders," he said. "Waves of this kind of [crackdown] are substantial ... Just last month, Hong Kong publisher Yiu Man-tin, who is also chief editor of the Morning Bell Press, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Shenzhen court."