CHING CHEONG DETENTION: HONG KONG JOURNALIST

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 002452

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2031
TAGS: CH HK PGOV PHUM PINR PREL
SUBJECT: CHING CHEONG DETENTION: HONG KONG JOURNALIST
ALLEGES PRC MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY DELAYING RESOLUTION

Classified By: E/P Chief Simon Schuchat. Reasons: 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) On August 5, 2005, the PRC issued formal charges of
espionage against "Straits Times" journalist Ching Cheong.
On June 12, 2006, Johnny Lau, a former colleague of Ching's
and a veteran China analyst, told poloff that since then
there has been no satisfactory progress on Ching's case (i.e.
the designation of a trial date) that might lead to his
release. (Note: Both journalists worked for the
PRC-controlled Hong Kong newspaper "Wen Wei Po" prior to the
1989 Tiananmen crackdown, after which they resigned in
protest. After June 4, Ching founded the magazine
"Contemporary," which focused on Chinese political and social
developments; Lau was an unidentified contributing editor.
End Note.) Lau has suggested to personal contacts on the
mainland that Ching's case should be transferred to court for
a trial after July 1, a politically sensitive time in Hong
Kong due to the anniversary of the handover and the
likelihood of pro-democracy demonstrations, rather than be
left in its current limbo. He suggested that a reasonable
solution would be to release Ching for medical reasons;
alternatively, Ching could receive a light sentence of 1-2
years imprisonment; counting time already served during the
pre-trial phase, Ching potentially could be released
immediately. Lau predicted that Beijing would likely expel
Ching to Singapore, where he is a legal resident, rather than
send him back to Hong Kong.


2. (C) Lau dismissed the PRC Government's charge that Ching
was involved in espionage activities for Taiwan as
"unbelievable," adding that many of Ching's Hong Kong-based
friends, including those from pro-Beijing circles, remained
unconvinced by the allegations. Lau did not believe that the
reason for Ching's arrest was retaliation for authoring a
specific article, nor was it due to his attempts to retrieve
a sensitive manuscript on Zhao Ziyang. Rather, Lau alleged
that a Ministry of Public Security (MPS) official, whom he
declined to name, had initiated an investigation into Ching
for two reasons: first, the MPS wanted to send a warning to
other journalists reporting on Chinese politics; second, it
wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the MPS in
ferreting out spies.


3. (C) While the allegations against Ching might be
groundless, the MPS could not simply dismiss the charges or
admit that it had made a mistake in detaining Ching, said
Lau, as this would "hurt the morale" of the ministry.
Further complicating the case was the fact that top leaders
in Beijing worried that if they botched the case (i.e.
sentenced him too lightly in the eyes of the MPS or too
harshly in the eyes of the Hong Kong public),they might risk
alienating either the MPS or high profile, pro-Beijing
friends of Ching. For those reasons, delaying resolution of
Ching's case was the safest option for now, said Lau.


4. (C) When asked by poloff whether the Hong Kong Government
continued to advocate for Ching's release, Lau responded that
Chief Executive Donald Tsang understood the Hong Kong
public's concern over Ching's case and above all else, wanted
to receive credit for his release.
Cunningham