Detained Singapore Straits Times journalist was a spy: China
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Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050531/1/3srpe.html
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China has claimed a senior journalist for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper detained last month has confessed to being a spy for foreign intelligence organisations.
Ching Cheong, 55, the Hong Kong-based chief China correspondent for the paper, was detained on April 22 in the southern city of Guangzhou.
"On April 22 Ching was investigated by relevant Chinese departments for being involved in espionage," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Ching has admitted that in recent years he has been following the instructions of overseas intelligence organisations and has undertaken intelligence collecting activities on mainland China.
"He has collected a large amount of spy fees. China is currently carrying out further investigations on his espionage activities."
The statement highlighted that Ching was a Hong Kong citizen but did not say which countries he had allegedly spied for.
Ching's wife Mary Lau told AFP on Monday her husband was detained while trying to obtain a sensitive manuscript of secret interviews with deposed Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang.
Zhao, a former premier and secretary general of the Communist Party, was purged in 1989 after opposing the decision to use force to quell the six-week-long Tiananmen Square democracy protests that year.
His inside knowledge of what led to the decision by Chinese leaders to order troops to open fire on the Tiananmen Square demonstrators would be explosive material in China.
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ST journalist column had been known to crawl with Intelligence People... Now we gonna get it from China again... Thank you ST. So much for being voted as one of the best newspaper in the region.... -
That is China and you remembered the 1989 incident. Do you believe everything the chinese says?
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The poor bugger was most likely tortured Abu-Ghraib style. I see no good reason for him to gather intelligence on China, unless it was requested by the MIW themselves, though highly unlikely.Originally posted by SOP:Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/050531/1/3srpe.html
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China has claimed a senior journalist for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper detained last month has confessed to being a spy for foreign intelligence organisations.
Ching Cheong, 55, the Hong Kong-based chief China correspondent for the paper, was detained on April 22 in the southern city of Guangzhou.
"On April 22 Ching was investigated by relevant Chinese departments for being involved in espionage," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Ching has admitted that in recent years he has been following the instructions of overseas intelligence organisations and has undertaken intelligence collecting activities on mainland China.
"He has collected a large amount of spy fees. China is currently carrying out further investigations on his espionage activities."
The statement highlighted that Ching was a Hong Kong citizen but did not say which countries he had allegedly spied for.
Ching's wife Mary Lau told AFP on Monday her husband was detained while trying to obtain a sensitive manuscript of secret interviews with deposed Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang.
Zhao, a former premier and secretary general of the Communist Party, was purged in 1989 after opposing the decision to use force to quell the six-week-long Tiananmen Square democracy protests that year.
His inside knowledge of what led to the decision by Chinese leaders to order troops to open fire on the Tiananmen Square demonstrators would be explosive material in China.
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ST journalist column had been known to crawl with Intelligence People... Now we gonna get it from China again... Thank you ST. So much for being voted as one of the best newspaper in the region.... -
Zhao Ziyang sided with the students and even appealed to them to withdraw before Li Peng sent in tanks to crush the protest.He was not even given a state funeral when he passed away.
If a CCP Secretary General can be reduced to this state..you can see how much real freedom the average PRC national has.They claim they have freedom, but in the end, that is because they are protesting over economic and social issues, the stakes are different if they directly challenge the CCP's right to rule. -
China claims HK reporter a spy
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 Posted: 0545 GMT (1345 HKT)
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China has accused a Hong Kong-based reporter for Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper of spying for foreign agencies, but his wife said it was a set-up.
If charged and convicted, Ching Cheong, 55, a Hong Kong citizen and permanent resident of Singapore, could face the death penalty. He was detained by agents of the state security apparatus in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on April 22.
"Ching admitted that in recent years he engaged in intelligence gathering activities on the mainland on instructions from foreign intelligence agencies and accepted huge amounts of spying fees," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Currently, relevant departments are investigating his spying activities," the statement said without elaborating on which country or countries were alleged to be his paymaster.
Ching is the second employee of a foreign news organization taken into custody by President Hu Jintao's government in a year.
New York Times researcher Zhao Yan was formally arrested last October for revealing state secrets -- believed to be news that then military chief Jiang Zemin was retiring from politics. Zhao has yet to go on trial.
Ching's wife was adamant he was innocent.
"He was wrongly accused," Mary Lau told Reuters by telephone.
"I don't understand. He was in Beijing all of March (to cover the annual session of parliament), but they didn't arrest him then."
Lau said on Monday her husband had been accused of stealing state secrets -- obtaining unpublished interviews with late Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, who was purged for opposing the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in which hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pro-democracy protesters were killed.
Zhao Ziyang died in Beijing in January but his political ghost still haunts the party's leaders.
A source close to Zhao's family said the authorities were determined to prevent publication of books that would contain the interviews -- conducted secretly by close associate Zong Fengming over 15 years while Zhao lived under house arrest -- because the interviews could be seen to undermine the legitimacy of the current leadership.
"It was a set-up. When they handed him the books, they arrested him immediately. They arranged to meet him to pass him the books," Lau said, referring to purported draft copies.
The Straits Times' publisher, Singapore Press Holdings Ltd., said Ching was assisting security authorities in Beijing with an investigation into a matter not related to the newspaper, which is indirectly linked to the Singapore government.
China-born Ching has been working for The Straits Times since 1996 and is the paper's chief China correspondent.
He quit as Beijing bureau chief of Hong Kong's leftist Wen Wei Po newspaper in 1989 in protest against the army crushing the student-led demonstrations in and around Tiananmen Square.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said recently China had the most journalists in prison of any country.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 but was promised a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of the press. Nevertheless, Hong Kong journalist Xi Yang was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1994 for stealing secrets. He was paroled three years later. -
That poor chap is caught in a "sting" operation. Kana setup!
He is a journalist for goodness sake.... -
can't trust the chinese government.
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No, you can't trust any government that fails to match EU standards of human rights.Originally posted by Ito_^:can't trust the chinese government. -
im ashamed to be a chinese...
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They are charging him with something close to treason for a piece of investigative journalism.Pretty low down I must say.How is our government going to react?Let's wait and see.
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If he is really a spy and is executed, we must not forget him. Blood must be shed to overthrow the Communists.
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Problem is that the Straits times is filled with intelligence or ex intel officers. So i am not surprised that this has happened. I feel sorry for the man, but the ST had it coming. Like i said in another thread, ST journalists, go get a proper job instead of pretending to be journalists.
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Indeed.Originally posted by lwflee:Problem is that the Straits times is filled with intelligence or ex intel officers. So i am not surprised that this has happened. I feel sorry for the man, but the ST had it coming. Like i said in another thread, ST journalists, go get a proper job instead of pretending to be journalists. -
Who is lying, who is telling the truth, we DON'T KNOW.
But this incident says one thing; no matter how Singapore 'angkat' (suck up) to China, we still aren't considered "brothers" at all.
Ever tried doing business with people in China? You'd vomit blood!
I have nothing good to say about China, and its many people here in Singapore. -
he is now a hong kong citizen... and hng kong is china now... how can our gov get involved in tis domestic issue....
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Well, he was employed by a company in which Temasek Holdings has a major influence.Originally posted by stupidissmart:he is now a hong kong citizen... and hng kong is china now... how can our gov get involved in tis domestic issue.... -
already reacted i think. there were statements from both SPH and MFA.Originally posted by LazerLordz:They are charging him with something close to treason for a piece of investigative journalism.Pretty low down I must say.How is our government going to react?Let's wait and see.
Basically washing their hands for MFA.
The SPH one stood by their man. but what can they do..... i am surprised that SPH's coverage in this is so small..... i mean for a newspaper, when one of ur own journalist get caught for "spying", i would think there would be maximum coverage!
And for the journalists... whon't they closed ranks and speak up to defend one of their own?
So weird! -
Well, he was employed by a company in which Temasek Holdings has a major influence
He was only employed. When an indonesian been caught in iraq working for the america company, only the country of indonsia seems to be doing something compared with the americans. Unless the say singapore is the one tat employs the "spy" as a "spy", then it really isn't our country business.... it is only the company business at best -
But you have to realise that Temasek Holdings does have a very comprehensive influence over her companies.Originally posted by stupidissmart:He was only employed. When an indonesian been caught in iraq working for the america company, only the country of indonsia seems to be doing something compared with the americans. Unless the say singapore is the one tat employs the "spy" as a "spy", then it really isn't our country business....
Oh well. -
But you have to realise that Temasek Holdings does have a very comprehensive influence over her companies.
In black and white, temesek holding is only a company... our politics shouldn't be involved in it -
the latest news in taiwan saying Mr CC is spying for taiwan:
The link (in Chinese):
http://yam.udn.com/yamnews/daily/2707770.shtml -
Once you are caught for espionage or carrying out any activities a country defined as contravening national security, don't think there is much you can do and you can't trust any government, not the communist nor the american, not even singapore with its ISA, any human right standard or other moral standard. You can only hope that your own country is on your side to fight for a fair trial if not for release. Can you trust your own country? Is Ching a singaporean or a hongkonger?Originally posted by iveco:No, you can't trust any government that fails to match EU standards of human rights.
Is this a case of espionage or free journalism?
Is he one of the "Straits Times intel officers"? sent to "shed blood to overthrow the communists"???
Or was he making some extra for his retirement? (Latest news he was working for the taiwanese.)
Or was he just doing his job as a true journalist trying to unveil the secrets behind the iron curtain and crossed the boundaries?
don't think ST or Temasek Holdings would risk all their interests in china for one person.
Will he become a martyr of freedom or is he simply made a scapegoat, or was he set up?
The only thing we can do for Ching is to pray for him.
Just have to remember, when entering countries like indonesia, malaysia and singapore, don't bring in anything that is defined as drugs; when entering countries like america, don't walk around with a parcel or a luggage, which would be defined as possible explosive device; when entering communists countries like china and vietnam, know what could be defined as "sensitive or possible subsersive documents." I always make sure that I dump all the taiwanese newspaper even before I land in Hong Kong. -
Had you considered the possibility that he may have been tortured into making a false confession Abu Ghraib style? Anything like that would not be allowed to happen in a country like say, Sweden, no matter what the circumstances are.Originally posted by sgdiehard:Once you are caught for espionage or carrying out any activities a country defined as contravening national security, don't think there is much you can do and you can't trust any government, not the communist nor the american, not even singapore with its ISA, any human right standard or other moral standard. You can only hope that your own country is on your side to fight for a fair trial if not for release. Can you trust your own country? Is Ching a singaporean or a hongkonger?
Is this a case of espionage or free journalism?
Is he one of the "Straits Times intel officers"? sent to "shed blood to overthrow the communists"???
Or was he making some extra for his retirement? (Latest news he was working for the taiwanese.)
Or was he just doing his job as a true journalist trying to unveil the secrets behind the iron curtain and crossed the boundaries?
don't think ST or Temasek Holdings would risk all their interests in china for one person.
Will he become a martyr of freedom or is he simply made a scapegoat, or was he set up?
The only thing we can do for Ching is to pray for him.
Just have to remember, when entering countries like indonesia, malaysia and singapore, don't bring in anything that is defined as drugs; when entering countries like america, don't walk around with a parcel or a luggage, which would be defined as possible explosive device; when entering communists countries like china and vietnam, know what could be defined as "sensitive or possible subsersive documents." I always make sure that I dump all the taiwanese newspaper even before I land in Hong Kong. -
you talking about them or us?Originally posted by iveco:No, you can't trust any government that fails to match EU standards of human rights.