HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS PUBLISH CHING CHEONG VERDICT

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 003559 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM NSC FOR WILDER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2031 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL HK CH SUBJECT: HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS PUBLISH CHING CHEONG VERDICT CLASSIFIED BY: ACTING DEPUTY PRINCIPAL OFFICER LAURENT CHARBONNET. REA SONS: 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (SBU) SEVERAL HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED "STRAITS TIMES" JOURNALIST CHING CHEONG'S ALLEGED COURT JUDGMENT ON SEPTEMBER 5. ACCORDING TO THE PRESS, THE PRO-BEIJING SING TAO NEWS CORPORATION WAS THE FIRST MEDIA ORGANIZATION TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE LEAKED VERDICT TO ITS WEBSITE ON SEPTEMBER 3. SING TAO IS OWNED BY CHARLES HO, A LOCAL PUBLISHER CLOSE TO BEIJING. (NOTE: THE CHINESE LANGUAGE VERDICT CAN BE FOUND AT "WWW.SINGTAONET.COM/CHINA/T20060902 317953.HTML" END NOTE.) ¶2. (SBU) ACCORDING TO THE VERDICT, CHING PASSED NINE SEPARATE PIECES OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION, INCLUDING FOUR TOP SECRET ITEMS AND TWO PIECES OF INTELLIGENCE, TO A TAIWANESE THINK TANK WHICH HE KNEW TO BE INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE AGAINST THE PRC. THE COURT CONCLUDED THAT THE JOURNALIST MUST HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT THE FOUNDATION ON INTERNATIONAL AND CROSS-STRAIT STUDIES IN TAIWAN WAS A COVER ORGANIZATION FOR ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES AS EARLY AS APRIL 2004, AFTER FOUNDATION CONTACTS ASKED HIM TO TAKE PICTURES OF CHINESE WARSHIPS IN HONG KONG. DESPITE THIS KNOWLEDGE, CHING ALLEGEDLY CONTINUED TO WRITE ARTICLES FOR THE THINK TANK, RECEIVING HKD300,000 (USD38,500) BY THE END OF 2004, ACCORDING TO THE LEAKED DOCUMENT. ¶3. (SBU) CHING'S FAMILY AND LAWYER, HE PEI-HUA, DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE JUDGMENT PUBLISHED IN THE MEDIA. HE PEI-HUA ADDED THAT THE JUDGMENT WAS A STATE SECRET AND THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL TO PUBLISH IT. HONG KONG-BASED MAINLAND LEGAL EXPERTS CONCLUDED THAT THE PUBLISHED VERDICT WAS AUTHENTIC, HOWEVER. SEPARATELY, THE CHING CHEONG INCIDENT CONCERN GROUP WILL HOLD A VIGIL TONIGHT TO PRAY FOR CHING'S EARLY RELEASE; CARDINAL JOSEPH ZEN IS EXPECTED TO LEAD THE PRAYER SESSION. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: GIVEN THAT CHING'S TRIAL WAS CLOSED AND DEALT WITH SUPPOSEDLY SENSITIVE STATE SECRETS, IT IS SURPRISING THAT HIS JUDGMENT AND THE DETAILS OF THE EVIDENCE WERE LEAKED THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION OWNED BY A GENERALLY PRO-BEIJING PUBLISHER. SPECULATION IN HONG KONG IS THAT BEIJING HAS FELT A NEED TO CONVINCE HONG KONG'S PRO-BEIJING COMMUNITY OF CHING'S GUILT. EVEN HABITUALLY PRO-BEIJING POLITICIANS AND COMMENTATORS HAVE EXPRESSED DISMAY OVER CHING'S HARSH SENTENCE; THEY CONSIDER HIM A PATRIOT. END COMMENT. CUNNINGHAM