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Foreign press banned from covering an earthquake in
Xinjiang province
International Secretariat
Asia-Pacific Desk
CHINA
27 February 2003
Chinese authorities, including the Foreign Affairs
Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (in
north-western China), has refused to issue foreign
press correspondents in China the authorisations
required for them to cover the earthquake that has
killed at least 250 people.
Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans frontières)
has asked Tang Jiaxuan‹China¹s Minister of Foreign
Affairs‹to intercede with competent authorities in
order that foreign press representatives may be
permitted to cover the humanitarian situation in
Xinjiang without hindrance. "They cannot request
international help on behalf of the victims and, at
the same time, refuse to admit foreign journalists to
the earthquake area. It is indecent," contended Robert
Ménard, Secretary General of the organisation.
Several foreign press correspondents in
Beijing‹notably one with television network France
2‹have confirmed to Reporters without Borders that the
Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region has systematically refused to issue
the authorisations that the journalists must have in
order to report on the aftermath of the earthquake.
Despite the ban, some 10 journalists with various
international media have entered the stricken province,
at the risk of being arrested and expelled. The
remaining international media have been restricted to
using only photographs, or news received from the
Chinese state media, including the national network,
CCTV, the only TV whose members are entitled to enter
the province. The network is mainly broadcasting
pictures of Chinese soldiers helping thousands of
victims. However, no independent observers have been
admitted into the disaster areas and witnesses are
disputing the official death toll.
The Chinese authorities have prohibited foreign
journalists from travelling without authorisations to
the provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet, where some
separatist movements are known to exist. Since 11
September 2001, Beijing has intensified its crackdown
against Uygur militants, who are described as "terrorists."
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
5 rue Geoffroy Marie
75009 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
asia@rsf.org
www.rsf.org
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