Singapore paper criticizes China's judical process as opaque
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Friday, Sep 01, 2006
Singapore paper criticizes China after reporter jailed for alleged espionage
SINGAPORE (AP) - A Singaporean newspaper whose reporter has been jailed by Chinese authorities on espionage charges expressed support for its employee and criticized Beijing on Friday, saying the country's judicial process should be more open.
Ching Cheong, a Hong Kong-based China correspondent for the Straits Times in Singapore, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison after being convicted of selling secrets to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory.
A Beijing court found Ching guilty of selling unspecified "state secrets and intelligence" to an unidentified Taiwanese foundation that is really a spy agency, China's official Xinhua news agency said. China and Taiwan split in 1949 amid civil war and are believed to spy actively on each other.
The newspaper said the process by which Ching was prosecuted should have been more transparent. Ching was detained during a visit to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in April 2005 and stood trial earlier this month in a one-day closed proceeding.
"Judicial opaqueness is the first of the old-style institutional staples which a modernizing China will want to get to grips with as the nation moves to centre stage in world affairs," the newspaper said in an editorial. "We acknowledge this is a work in progress, but it is an important one."
The newspaper also urged the central Chinese government to look into what it called a "lack of clarity and certainty" in the country's interpretation of secrecy laws and what constituted violations of national security.
"Journalists cannot be second-guessing security officials and operating on the basis that their first mistake shall be their last," the editorial said.
Ching's conviction came during a government campaign to tighten media controls that has seen dozens of journalists jailed.
© The Canadian Press, 2006
http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=world_home&articleID=2370536
Somehow.. the pot is calling the kettle black.
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And how is this so different from our own government trying to tell foreign publications what to do.
Very double-headed in policy, given that SPH is state-controlled.
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Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black...
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Err.... I don't think we actually jailed jounarlists, the most we did was sue them till them bankrupt in public courts.
But anyway I think the main point here is the tranparancy of the court. When pple criticised about Sg's freedom, its always about our tough laws, which is a legislation problem, and not the way our court runs, which is a judicial problem. International watchers are actually quite satisfied with the transparancy of our courts.
In this case, it is China's court transparancy that we are concern about. Which mean, we are not too sure their judges are fair and it might be a kangaroo court. -
They only criticise things they have no control over.
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Is our judicial system less opaque - insofar as trials of politicians from the alternative parties are concerned ?
Do we not have similar political trials with the likes of JB Jeyaratnam, Tan Wah Piow, Tang Liang Hong, Francis Seow being persecuted ?
Ironically, while One Party dominated Communist China has arrested those whom they accused to be capitalist spies, Singapore's One Party Government had similarly conducted political arrests of those accused of communists sympathisers: Chia Thye Poh, Lim Chin Siong, Vincent Cheng and his cohorts of social workers from the Catholic Church.
Search these names in Google search - and a wealth of information concerning their persecution will be generated. -
Originally posted by ShutterBug:Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black...
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THis thing smacks of hypocricy.
THat's all I can say. -
Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on, We ALL FALL DOWN!!
Sukie take it off again, Sukie take it off again, Sukie take it off again, We ALL FALL DOWN!! -
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+1Originally posted by ShutterBug:Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black... -
well well, the pot calling the kettle black
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you lai, you qu.
next time we will also be called opaque. -
our press climate already described as opaque..see my other thread in SC regarding foreign press.Originally posted by missqi:you lai, you qu.
next time we will also be called opaque. -
our foreign ministry cant seem to hold their tongue nowadays.
they criticise and offer opinions whenever there is a chance. -
has to say something for show meh! notice how quiet our sph was after the initial report of Ching's arrest. it was some hk press agencies and not Singapore, his adopted country, that kept fighting for his release!
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Press freedom and judicial transparency are two rather different and separate things. In Singapore, press freedom may be highly limited, but I believe our judicial processes are amongst the most transparent and clear-cut in the world.
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too bad most transparent does not necessarily means transparent.Originally posted by dakkon_blackblade:Press freedom and judicial transparency are two rather different and separate things. In Singapore, press freedom may be highly limited, but I believe our judicial processes are amongst the most transparent and clear-cut in the world. -
How transparent is transparent for you?Originally posted by dragg:too bad most transparent does not necessarily means transparent. -
I dont understand that trial
First, its not an open one, then they jail him for five years. To add insult to the injury, they got rid of his 'political rights' and confiscated his property.
Gee, confiscate his property...why not have 'man men chao zhan' while at it? -
maybe it did cross their mind...Originally posted by laurence82:I dont understand that trial
First, its not an open one, then they jail him for five years. To add insult to the injury, they got rid of his 'political rights' and confiscated his property.
Gee, confiscate his property...why not have 'man men chao zhan' while at it?
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I doubt it will be an open trial, simply because it is an espionage case.
Also I don't know why is Straits Times not keeping its mouth shut and let the case slip quietly.
Ching Chong was a state journalist at the 'State Times'.
He could be a Singapore agent tasked with assisting Taiwan intelligence operation.
I don't think the Taiwanese intelligence was so good and coincidentally cultivated him, a convinient journalist from a third country, Singapore.
Also I don't think if Ching Chong was really that innocent and was being used without him realizing, that he would get 5 years, and the case publicised, instead of him being evicted only.
It is curious that State Times now make noise. -
Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black...
well said.
frankly i dont feel sorry for this man because he is from SPH.
moreover, why chinese need to frame him? -
Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black...
well said.
frankly i dont feel sorry for this man because he is from SPH.
moreover, why chinese need to frame him? -
Thats why i love epsionage cases
Dont like a guy? Charge him for epsionage