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HK reporter and cameraman taken away after Olympic ticketing kerffufle in Beijing

Hong Kong is known to produce some of the most gung-ho reporters and cameramen around. When these guys cross over to the mainland and come face-to-face with Chinese police, interesting things happen.

Yesterday, over 30,000 people queued up in the sweltering heat just outside the Bird's Nest to get their hands on the last 250,000 Olympic tickets available. After a series of queue-jumping incidents, scuffles broke out at around 2pm. The Standard (HK) reports [h/t to China Digital Times]:

A reporter and cameraman from Now TV filming the incident were ordered by public security officers to stop and erase the recording. They refused and were detained in a police vehicle until a Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office representative arrived to mediate.

Now TV issued a statement accusing the authorities of interfering with press freedom. It said it was the second time in a week its reporters were obstructed.

And then there's Xinhua's version of the story which accuses the reporter of:
1. breaking through the crowd-control barricade
2. kicking a police officer in the groin

The Hong Kong reporter, surnamed Wong, did not obey police orders and broke through temporary barricades to take photos, the spokesman said.

"When police officers asked him to leave the temporary controlled zone, Wong didn't listen. He kicked a police officer surnamed Zhang in the groin and injured him," he said.

"Wong was then taken away by police for investigation, and the injured officer was sent to a nearby hospital."

Wong acknowledged that he had not listened to the police persuasions and had kicked the officer during the investigation, the spokesman said.

"Zhang suffered groin injuries and need further observation in hospital," he said.

Wow. We would have thought causing physical hurt to a law enforcement officer would get you into more trouble than getting put in a police van for a few hours. The PSB were really kind to let them go like this.

In the above video, the police officer stated several times that the reporter would need to be "approved" by the area propaganda bureau, citing a "rule handed down by the State Council". When the reporter asked why there was the need to receive "approval", the officer responded curtly, "You are in Beijing. You need to abide by the law here."

Unfortunately, this has been the experience of numerous journalists as they go about doing their work despite the assurance by top propaganda chief Li Changchun of complete media freedom during the Olympics. In fact, they've even established the Beijing International Media Center (housed in a hotel which got into a bit of PR trouble of its own) which is expected to serve more than 5,000 non-accredited reporters during the Games.

If you are one of those 5,000 non-accredited reporters coming to the Games, prep yourself please by reading the hair-tearing experiences of our friend Wong Yee Fong, Beijing correspondent for Channel News Asia, who describes her own encounters with Chinese police while covering the devastating Sichuan earthquake for her station.

So why are journalists going about their daily work getting stopped everywhere? Oh we get it now. The promise was for complete media freedom during the Olympics — not before, not after. On 8 Aug 2008, 8.08pm — the auspicious moment when all good things will happen — the skies will be blue, there will be no rain, and complete media freedom will rain upon the land. Are you ready, folks?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Kenneth Tan in on July 25, 2008 8:09 PM

Comments [rss]

  • Angella

    Certain types of reporters will go out of their way to get their stories. Under that kind of chaotic situation, it's hard to say who's more at fault?

  • arrival

    sorry, it may be a bit late to comment on this ... anyway, after spending 5 years in Hong Kong, I got to know reporters there believe they are "government police". They are so used to having their way in the name of freedom of the press. It's interesting but sad to even find hospital people actually stand aside so that they can take pictures of or even interview the patients ... I guess, if they had their way, they would even expect the bullets to stop flying around whenever they wanted to do the shooting during a shoot out ! That's hongkong reporters to you.

  • RUSHOUR1

    With his groin bbqed like a yangrouchuan, Felix Wong the HK reporter went to hospital with flowers like a crippled dry grasshopper for a sincere apology to wounded Beijing cop. So the case is maybe closed Chinese way.



    Released HK reporter apologizes to injured officer

    2008-07-25

    BEIJING - A reporter with a Hong Kong-based newspaper apologized on Friday afternoon to a Beijing policeman who he had injured after a scuffle at an Olympic Games ticket outlet.

    Felix Wong, a South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper photographer, was released after he was taken away by police in the morning. He was escorted away from the scene after breaking through a barricade set up to control a crowd lined up to buy tickets and kicking a policeman in the groin, a Beijing municipal government information office spokesman said.

    More than 30,000 people queued for the final chance to buy Olympic tickets near the National Stadium, aka the "Bird's Nest," at about 10:30 a.m. when the incident happened, the spokesman said.

    "Police immediately informed the SCMP's Beijing bureau about the incident," he said. "At about 4 p.m., a bureau director and Felix Wong went to the hospital to visit the injured officer, Zhang Yuzhu."

    "Wong made a sincere apology to Zhang and presented flowers," the spokesman said. "Wong has returned to his newspaper bureau. The bureau said it would cooperate with the investigation at any time," he added

  • shanghai

    All reporters including from hongkong must abide the law where they are. None should claim a complete media freedom while committed an offence against local rules.

  • shanghai

    You need to abide by the law where you are. Is it anything wrong?

  • Pirx

    Hey, guys, get real!



    You can't seriously have expected the Chinese to promise open access, free reporting and actually stick to the promise?



    Like most things in China being a copy, so are the Communist party and the state just a 1:1 copy of the Soviet Union.



    Noone would have believed the Soviet Union, had they ever made statements about Olympic press-freedom.



    Why, then, believe China?

  • RUSHOUR1
  • RUSHOUR1

    ---"PSB were really kind to let them go like this"?



    What? Beijing cops were not that kind at all. Is it kind of them letting unbiased reporters sit in a sauna van of 40 degree under the burning sun, with their tiny groins BBQed on the steet seats for some long hours! God, it is more cruel than Abu Ghraib, man! It remind me of the American cops beating up our Tibeten brothers into pulps.

    You know I hate cops. This Beijing cop should be grateful to have only one kick landed on his groin, He should be treated as criminal and castrated together with war criminal Bushit!



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owxCSs86Aa0



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDmAKnw7AJw



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbfA5q0QaNI



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjffAE5iq-s&feature=related



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZPmTomvO4c





  • ououou

    the rudest people! the rudest people around the world!

  • steveballmer

    You really shouldn't fool around with those guys, if you know what I mean!





    http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

  • sirlogic

    well... technically... the Olympics haven't started yet...



    not to be a stickler or anything...

  • booggerg

    With the advent of recording technology and Internet, press freedom will indoubtably come to China. At this rate, it will probably take a generation for authoritarian mindset to go away.

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