The drama unfolding in Hainan has given rise to a press-pack sideshow worthy of the Theatre of the Absurd. You could call it 'Waiting for Sealock'.
Since Tuesday afternoon dozens of journalists from Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States have staked out the lobby of the Hainan Mandarin Hotel in the provincial capital, Haikou. All are pursuing the same Holy Grail: a sound-bite or two from Brigadier-General Neal Sealock, the US Embassy military attache dispatched to meet the 24 crew members of the spy plane.
The search for him began in Sanya, a resort on the southern coast of Hainan, and reached a climax on Tuesday in Haikou, where the envoy was finally allowed to meet the crew - more than 60 hours after the midair collision.
When he returned from the meeting at almost 1am on Wednesday, journalists and camera crews surrounded him with all the dignity of a pack of starved piranhas. It was all the brigadier could do to fire off a brief statement. 'The entire crew is in good health. They are being well taken care of,' he said.
Early yesterday, the game began again and reached a climax when Brigadier Sealock and other US officials went to a shopping centre to buy toiletries for the detained crew. A fleet of taxis hired by the media set off in pursuit. At least a dozen journalists and bemused local shoppers watched the US officials buy shaving cream, razors and other sundries. A worn cardboard box, thought to contain the items, is probably the most photographed box in China today.
