Foreign Journalists Denied Access to Tibet
Foreign reporters have informed the Foreign Correspondent Club of China of 30 incidents where foreign journalists have faced obstruction while reporting on topics related to Tibet. The locations where the reporting interference occurred include the cities of Lhasa, Beijing, Chengdu and Xining, and several locations in Gansu Province.
Following are descriptions of a few of the incidents:
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE DETAIN TV CREW, THREATEN TO CONFISCATE TV FOOTAGE
MAR. 17, 2008-- Police detained a Finnish Broadcasting Co. correspondent and cameraman outside the monastery town of Xiahe and threatened to confiscate their footage. The team arrived in Xiahe on March 15, and was trying to leave when law enforcement officers brought them to the police station. The police insisted they had a right to view the correspondents' footage because the reporters had been in a forbidden area during a police operation. The police said they would confiscate any sensitive material. "We declined to show the footage and said that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said that foreign journalists have the right to report freely. They said 'You don't want to know what will happen if you don't show us the footage," said correspondent Katri Makkonen. The journalists showed the police one tape. After 90 minutes, the reporters left with the tape they showed to the police as well as the ones they managed to hide.
LINXIA, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE TURN AWAY REPORTER DUE TO "POLICE ACTION"
Mar. 17, 2008-- Police turned back a reporter from Britain's The Guardian after he drove over a mountain pass to enter an area where protests had taken place near the border between Sichuan and Gansu. Reporter Jonathan Watts said an English-speaking officer told him "There is a police action taking place. Foreigners are not allowed inside. These are the orders of high authority." He said a Foreign Ministry official told a colleague: "When there is some emergency, the local authority has the power to set up prohibited areas for outsiders. This is for the stability and unity of that province and this country."
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: TV TEAM TURNED AWAY DUE TO "TROUBLE AHEAD"
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police stopped correspondents from Britain's ITV News at a toll both an hour
outside of the monastery town Xiahe, took details from their passports, and told them to leave. A plainclothes policeman filmed the reporters. Authorities also recorded the driver's license and license plate of the Lanzhou taxi driver, who "was terrified," said ITV correspondent John Ray. " The only explanation we were given was there was 'trouble ahead'. When we pressed them, we were told the
road was damaged." On their way back to Lanzhou the journalists were pulled over at another toll booth and once again asked for their passports. "No explanation was offered; nor could they reconcile the road block with the Olympic regulations concerning foreign journalists," said Ray. ``We tried to film them, but were shooed away.'' After returning to Beijing, the ITV journalists were manhandled off a university campus where Tibetan students were holding a candlelit vigil, and people they believe to be plainclothes police photographed them.
CHENGDU, SICHUAN PROVINCE: POLICE BAR FILMING IN TIBETAN NEIGHBORHOOD
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police barred a television crew from ABC News of the U.S. from filming in a Tibetan neighborhood. When the reporters informed police of the Olympic rule allowing foreign reporters to travel and interview anyone who consents, Stephanie Sy says police "simply shrugged and hailed us a taxi."
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE TURN AWAY, TAIL REPORTER
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police turned back a correspondent for U.S. National Public Radio who was seeking to reach Xiahe. The correspondent was first stopped at a checkpoint about 50 kilometers outside of Lanzhou. The reporter took a back road, and was turned back again at a checkpoint 20 kilometers outside of Xiahe. Louisa Lim's car was followed by a police car for about 100 kilometers. Then a black sedan tailed her for about 300 kilometers, until she had
almost reached the airport.
Following are descriptions of a few of the incidents:
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE DETAIN TV CREW, THREATEN TO CONFISCATE TV FOOTAGE
MAR. 17, 2008-- Police detained a Finnish Broadcasting Co. correspondent and cameraman outside the monastery town of Xiahe and threatened to confiscate their footage. The team arrived in Xiahe on March 15, and was trying to leave when law enforcement officers brought them to the police station. The police insisted they had a right to view the correspondents' footage because the reporters had been in a forbidden area during a police operation. The police said they would confiscate any sensitive material. "We declined to show the footage and said that Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said that foreign journalists have the right to report freely. They said 'You don't want to know what will happen if you don't show us the footage," said correspondent Katri Makkonen. The journalists showed the police one tape. After 90 minutes, the reporters left with the tape they showed to the police as well as the ones they managed to hide.
LINXIA, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE TURN AWAY REPORTER DUE TO "POLICE ACTION"
Mar. 17, 2008-- Police turned back a reporter from Britain's The Guardian after he drove over a mountain pass to enter an area where protests had taken place near the border between Sichuan and Gansu. Reporter Jonathan Watts said an English-speaking officer told him "There is a police action taking place. Foreigners are not allowed inside. These are the orders of high authority." He said a Foreign Ministry official told a colleague: "When there is some emergency, the local authority has the power to set up prohibited areas for outsiders. This is for the stability and unity of that province and this country."
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: TV TEAM TURNED AWAY DUE TO "TROUBLE AHEAD"
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police stopped correspondents from Britain's ITV News at a toll both an hour
outside of the monastery town Xiahe, took details from their passports, and told them to leave. A plainclothes policeman filmed the reporters. Authorities also recorded the driver's license and license plate of the Lanzhou taxi driver, who "was terrified," said ITV correspondent John Ray. " The only explanation we were given was there was 'trouble ahead'. When we pressed them, we were told the
road was damaged." On their way back to Lanzhou the journalists were pulled over at another toll booth and once again asked for their passports. "No explanation was offered; nor could they reconcile the road block with the Olympic regulations concerning foreign journalists," said Ray. ``We tried to film them, but were shooed away.'' After returning to Beijing, the ITV journalists were manhandled off a university campus where Tibetan students were holding a candlelit vigil, and people they believe to be plainclothes police photographed them.
CHENGDU, SICHUAN PROVINCE: POLICE BAR FILMING IN TIBETAN NEIGHBORHOOD
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police barred a television crew from ABC News of the U.S. from filming in a Tibetan neighborhood. When the reporters informed police of the Olympic rule allowing foreign reporters to travel and interview anyone who consents, Stephanie Sy says police "simply shrugged and hailed us a taxi."
XIAHE, GANSU PROVINCE: POLICE TURN AWAY, TAIL REPORTER
MAR. 16, 2008-- Police turned back a correspondent for U.S. National Public Radio who was seeking to reach Xiahe. The correspondent was first stopped at a checkpoint about 50 kilometers outside of Lanzhou. The reporter took a back road, and was turned back again at a checkpoint 20 kilometers outside of Xiahe. Louisa Lim's car was followed by a police car for about 100 kilometers. Then a black sedan tailed her for about 300 kilometers, until she had
almost reached the airport.
posted by Marco Polo at
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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