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Ching
Cheong: Free at last
The
Wall Street Journal Asia
06
Feb
08
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120223801723244783.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Beijing
freed journalist Ching Cheong yesterday after two years and nine
months in prison. That's good news for Mr. Ching and his family,
who will celebrate Chinese New Year together for the first time
in three years.
We wish we could say the same for the 28
journalists still imprisoned in China, according to Human Rights
Watch. But Mr. Ching's early release, purportedly for health
concerns, doesn't signal a broader trend. With only six months to
go before the Olympics, China has stuck to its habit of punishing
those who speak out against the government.
Mr. Ching's
arrest in April 2005 showed that the Communist Party would not
hesitate to turn against its own in its quest to exert control
over sensitive information. The reporter carries a Hong Kong
passport and was the China correspondent for Singapore's Straits
Times. He was known for his Chinese patriotism and his belief in
Taiwanese unification - ideas close to Beijing's own heart. But
he was sentenced to five years in September 2006 for "spying"
for Taiwan. Theories abound about the reason behind his arrest -
some say he was hot on the trail of sensitive documents about the
Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989; others say he simply knew too
much about Beijing's Taiwan policies.
Regardless of why
Mr. Ching fell into disfavor, his arrest is a reminder of
Beijing's habit of locking up those it dislikes. You don't have
to look far for more examples. Last week activist Hu Jia was
formally charged with "subverting state power" for the
crime of speaking out about China's human-rights abuses. He's
likely to be incarcerated for the duration of the Olympics. How
convenient.
Illusions that the Olympics would pave the way
for greater press freedom in China have long since been
dispelled. Beijing is tightening its media grip as it gears up
for August. Mr. Ching's release is a feel-good move designed to
make the government's actions a little less loathsome before the
holidays.
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