CRF-2005-03-text.qxd 9/8/05 2:56 PM Page 6 News Roundup anmen Square movement. The authorities to the radio station that the Chinese warned Ching’s wife and the newspaper not authorities were preventing transmission of May–mid-August 2005 to disclose Ching’s detention. On August 5, VOA programs. In addition, a listener who the Chinese authorities announced that had sent VOA a CD-ROM containing stories COMPILED BY CAROL K. WANG Ching had been formally charged with espi- of veterans of the Korean War was reported onage. (Reuters, WP) to have been interrogated by police and had his mail intercepted. (VOA) CENSORSHIP MICROSOFT Microsoft Corp. has joined Yahoo and CNN BLOCKED All Web site owners and bloggers were Google in aiding the Chinese government in Chinese authorities blocked 15 seconds of required to register their real names and censoring its 94 million Internet users. a CNN interview with Helen Clark, Prime identity numbers with the government by Unlike Yahoo, which blocks sites only upon Minister of Australia, when Clark com- June 30 under threat of closures and fines receiving a complaint from the Chinese gov- mented on human rights in China. Her of up to 1 million yuan under new regula- ernment, and Google, which blocks out voice returned to the air when she moved tions announced by the Ministry of Informa- banned web sources, Microsoft has pro- on to a different topic. Clark said she was tion Industry. On June 17, The Guardian grammed a software package that prevents not surprised at being censored, given that reported that China’s censorship tactics bloggers from using politically sensitive “China is not a democracy, there isn’t free- now include installing cultural double words on MSN Spaces, a blog service. dom of expression.” (VOA) agents in Internet chat rooms to give dis- Microsoft said in a statement, “MSN abides cussions a pro-Beijing slant. (IHT,Guardian) by the laws and regulations of each country FOREIGN PROGRAMMING BARRED The authorities have also directed news- in which it operates.” (BG, The Guardian) In a move to heighten control over coopera- papers to cease the use of pen names by tion between Chinese and foreign media reporters and commentators. Directives “NIGHT CRAWLER” SYSTEM companies, the Chinese State Administra- from the Publicity Department also state A new Internet content management sys- tion of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) that trade publications and metropolitan tem called the “Night Crawler” (pa chong) is on July 12 announced a ban on the opera- newspapers can only cover news in their blocking access to Web sites that have not tion of channels in partnerships with for- area, a move that editors and analysts say registered with the authorities. The “Night eign broadcasters. Another regulation will limit investigative reporting and weaken Crawler” is a real-time automatic monitor- taking effect on July 7 bars Chinese broad- oversight by the media. (IHT,AP, SCMP) ing system that targets Web sites with casters from leasing channels to foreign mainland Chinese IP addresses. In late companies. This is predicted to affect com- EDITOR BARRED March, the Ministry of Information Industry panies that have formed joint ventures with Cheng Yizhong, former editor-in-chief of (MII) ordered local Chinese telecommunica- Chinese partners, or that have sold blocks Southern Metropolitan Daily,was barred tions authorities to compile databases of of programming to Chinese broadcast com- from accepting in person the 2005 personal information for all individuals and panies. The new bans result from growing UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Free- companies that have registered domain concern within the Chinese government dom Prize at a ceremony held in Dakar. names. Approximately 430,000 domain regarding “political standards” in broad- Cheng believed that his family has been registration applications had been received casting, with many officials citing foreign under surveillance since he was dismissed by the MII by May 23, out of 573,755 Web programs as a negative influence on soci- from the liberal and investigative newspa- sites located by the new system. (CDN) ety and children. (AP) per, which had run a string of stories embar- rassing the Guangzhou government. Cheng, GAY-ORIENTED WEB SITE REOPENS PIG-BORNE DISEASE together with colleagues Li Mingying and Yu A Chinese-language site for gays, www. Hong Kong media reported that China Huafeng, was charged with corruption in gaychinese.net, was reopened after being blocked media coverage on the spread of a late 2004. Li and Yu were sentenced to six blocked for nearly three months. It retains pig-borne disease. The disease was first years and eight years in prison respectively; its original form and content, with informa- revealed in Sichuan, where local govern- Cheng was eventually released due to insuf- tion on AIDS prevention, sex changes, and ment denied the outbreak. The World ficient evidence. (SCMP) photographs of China’s first Gay Pride Day Health Organization also expressed con- on June 12. The Web site, which generates cern over the incident, which is reported to HK REPORTER DETAINED more than 10,000 hits per day, was shut have caused 34 deaths. (VOA) Ching Cheong,a prominent Hong Kong jour- down by public security officials in April, nalist and the chief China correspondent for according to Wan Yanhai, coordinator of the The Straits Times (Singapore), was detained Beijing-based AIDS Action Project. The DEATH PENALTY in Guangzhou on April 22. He was report- reopening followed a June 15 report by edly in China to pick up a collection of Human Rights Watch. (BBC) Rome-based NGO Hands Off Cain (Nessuno secret interviews with Zhao Ziyang, who Tocchi Caino) reported on June 24 that at died in January after having been purged for VOA INTERCEPTED least 5,000 of the 5,476 confirmed execu- opposing the crackdown on the 1989 Tian- Listeners of Voice of America complained tions worldwide in 2004 occurred in China. CRF-2005-03-text.qxd 9/8/05 2:56 PM Page 7 The organization qualified the figure as an Yang Zongming, Lian Yongwei, Wu Bing, and 2002. The verdict was issued by the educated guess, claiming that the real total Xian Bao and Tu Qiang. (XH) Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court could be twice as high. (AFP) On July 20, the Guangdong Intermediate on July 28. (XH) People’s Court upheld on retrial the death On July 28, the Jilin Provincial Higher NO. 3,NO. 2005 DRUG-TRAFFICKING CRIMES sentence previously passed by the same People’s Court upheld the death sentence The People’s High Court in Chongqing in court against three drug traffickers, Yu passed by the Jilin Municipal Intermediate early May upheld the death sentences of Zhuoxiong, Guo Mingqing and Chen People’s Court against Sang Yuechung, 43, Zhu Jingsheng and Tian Yibing, but sus- Yuhan. The three were convicted of produc- for a series of organized crimes and fraud. pended the sentences for two years. (CN) ing 2.45 kg of methamphetamine (“ice”) in Sang was the president of a trading com- On the weekend leading up to Interna- Hunan and distributing in Guangzhou. (PD) pany and former NPC representative. (CNA) tional Anti-Drug Day (June 26), China The Intermediate People’s Court at enforced executions of traffickers as a Guigang City, Guangxi Province on July 25 VIOLENT CRIMES warning to potential lawbreakers. In Beijing, sentenced former police officer Wang Jinx- Cheng Caiming, 26, a partner of a chemi- 101 convicted drug traffickers were sen- iong, along with Tang Dazhang and He Shi- cal company, was sentenced to death by CHINA RIGHTS FORUM tenced to death or to jail terms of up to life rong, to death for trafficking 346.5g the People’s Intermediate Court in imprisonment as the authorities aimed to cocaine between Longzhou County and Guangzhou on May 18 after being convicted 7 “mark a strong moment in the fight against Pingnan County. All three are appealing. Li of selling industrial-use alcohol to wine pro- drugs.” At least 28 death sentence cases Jie, another accomplice, was sentenced to ducers for human consumption, causing 14 were reported in the state media, including life imprisonment. (CRI Online) deaths and 41 serious injuries. Cheng’s 14 five traffickers in Guizhou City who were accomplices were also sentenced to jail sentenced to death on June 25 and exe- FINANCIAL CRIMES terms of 18 months to 13 years. (CYD) cuted the next day. Three others were con- Li Dawei, 31, was executed in Xi’an on June Qian Junbo, 33, who was involved in a victed and executed on June 26 in 9 after being convicted of fraud involving a series of criminal offences, was sentenced Changsha City. (SCMP, AFP) total of 30 million yuan between 2000 and to death by the People’s Intermediate Court On June 23, the People’s High Court in 2003. Sentenced to death by the Xi’an in Xiangfan City Hubei on May 25. He was REGULAR FEATURES Guangdong Province passed death sen- People’s Intermediate Court in October found guilty of injecting poisonous chemi- tences against leaders of a gang convicted 2003, Li lost his appeal at the higher court, cals into dozens of milk cartons, then of producing up to 17 tons of methamphet- and his death penalty was upheld on review blackmailed the manufacturer. (CYD) amine (“ice”) between 1996 and 2000. on November 24, 2004. (Chinese News Net) Zhang Hongdong, 46, was executed on The convicted men, Zhuang Chucheng, Lin On June 22, Liu Congbao,a gang leader May 31 after the People’s High Court in Hongjie, Zheng Yangquan, Zhuang Zhen- from Guangdong, was summarily executed Anshan, Liaoning, upheld the death sen- wen and Zheng Rongchang,were executed after the People’s Intermediate Court in tence passed by the People’s Intermediate immediately after the court passed sen- Jieyang City, Guangdong Province convicted Court, upon Zhang’s conviction for murder tence.