2 Sept 2006

Guilty verdict shows China not ready for world stage

PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Human Right Community Condemns PRC’s Guilty Verdict and Spy Accusation of Straits Times Correspondent

(Los Angeles) The Visual Artists Guild joins human rights supporters to condemn PRC’s prison sentence of five years - and charges of espionage - for Hong-Kong based Ching Cheong, a foreign correspondent for Singapore’s Straits Times.

Ann Lau, Chair of the Visual Artists Guild stated: “Just one day after the New York Times reported how the United States is busy encouraging China to become more active in its role with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China’s crackdown on journalists is undermining any trust the international trading community could possible have with the PRC. How can PRC official think they will build pre-Olympics relations with the international community while their paranoia against Taiwan and international reporters is unceasing? Not only does this verdict send a chill throughout everyone in the journalist community, but throughout all researchers in any kind of discipline. It will certainly put a cloud over any future academic exchanges.”

The Visual Artists Guild joins those who wonder how Ching Cheong, who worked for a Taiwanese think tank which has maintained close contact with high level PRC party members and scholars inside China, could be considered a spy for that organization while their other contacts remain unscrutininzed.

When Mr. Ching Cheong, tried to obtain a manuscript more than one year ago by the late Zhao Ziyang, an opponent of the PRC’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre of students, he was arrested and remained in prison uncharged for 16 months. After his trial two weeks ago, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court No. 2 sentenced him to five years in prison for selling “top secrets” to Taiwan. He was also fined him HK$300,000.

Ching Cheong is the second journalist employed by a foreign news organization to receive a prison sentence during this past week, and the third major sentencing story from China this month. Last week, Zhao Yan, a researcher for the New York Times was accused of revealing "state secrets" and was given three year sentence for fraud charges. On August 24, 2006, Chen Guangcheng, a blind activist, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after recording complaints of PRC’s brutal forced abortion policy in Shandong province.

The Visual Artist Guild reminds democracies throughout the world – including the United States – that while many permit and encourage greater involvement for economic development and partnership with China, time after time we are shown how any unfavorable inquiry about the PRC by any journalist can result in jail and imprisonment. The Visual Artists Guild will continue to monitor this situation and attacks on journalists as the 2008 Olympics approaches.

For further information, please contact Ann Lau at 310/539-0234



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is just one side of the story; china's version, that he provided confidential information to a taiwan foundation fronting for intelligence gathering, has not really been denied; ching only said he did nothing illegal, while the foundation only said they do not give large sums of money for information; neither denied having dealt with each other

whether the information was state secret is under chinese law rather flexible; we do not know what ching did that really upset beijing; his information source was a trusted member of the Hu Jingtao circle, and the trial may simply be a means to warn everyone in a similar situation not to release information without authorization

Anonymous said...

This proves again that China has no morals, and no sense of justice (of course, it beats the cake or at par, with other tyrannical countries eg North Korea, etc..).

If they can support N. Korea and the Pol Pot regime of Cambodia - who are all responsible for the killings and deaths (through starvation, etc...) of millions of their own citizens. China too had caused millions of their people to die due to the disastrous Cultural Revolution of the 60s. More than the number that died during WW II.

BUT THEY HAVE NEVER admnitted it to their own citizens and still hope to re-write history.

Of course, not all countries are super-moralistic. BUT, we can be sure that CHINA is the biggest of the EVILS. From all its actions, we can say that it is satanic at least for the corrupt regime (including corrupt of the soul, too).
They can go to HELL !!!

They are also not real friends of our country. Just exploiting us.

With our appeals, at least this damned country could have shown some discretion and reduce CC's sentence.

We are only being made use of China all these years!!

Anonymous said...

ranting again

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

"The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him" — Shakespeare's Macbeth

Capt_Canuck said...

obviously no one speaking in the above comments is a Singaporean. Probably another batch of people living in other countries trying to enforce their own personal beliefs and all on another country. Similiar to the way that Americans go into another country where there is 'oppression' and give them the American ways of Democracy, often at the end of a gun.

I mean, how could a Singaporean possibly speak of having no morals when Singaporean own newspapers punish people for writing what they think is true. Bloggers being charged under Sedition Acts if they write their own feelings and truth (as they see it), news paper writers fired and the ministers publish their own 'truth' as to how these writers are undermining the ways of happy Singapore life and are evil people.

That can not be a Singaporean writing that. After all, all Singaporeans are happy people, content people, people that are thrilled to be ruled by the high elite. Singaporeans like to be ruled by their elite and hate it when outsiders dare insinuate that Singapore might be ruled wrongly or immorally. So, it would hypocritical for a Singaporean to dare say that perhaps China is ruling their citizens (or visitors since when you are a visitor in either China or Singapore you are not excempt from their laws...being a visitor wont save you from the cane if you happen to write on the walls with a marker) immorally or improperly.

Yep, obviously NOT a singaporean writing words here.

Anonymous said...

the phone no. given 310 5390234 looks american, and surname lau looks hongkee

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Human rights and the right of an individual to peaceful means of economic support are UNIVERSAL.

However, I do have one issue with the writer of this piece — it is not up to her whether or not "China is ready for the world stage", although everyone is entitled to an opinion. (But opinions are not the truth. They are just opinions)

China is already on the world statge and playing a big and every increasing role.

In other words: No one is required to "seek permission" from others to "be successful".

Everyone has the right to do whatever the fuck he wants — and welcome to the consequences of his or her actions, should their actions cause conflicts with others.

Anonymous said...

this proves once again china is nogt to hold the coming olympic games. the IOC must now take the games off the country.

Anonymous said...

must be one of the losing contenders hoping to pick up a bargain