In a 13 April 2000 letter to Beijing’s government representative in Hong Kong, Jiang Enzou, RSF protested against threats made by one of his deputies to journalists who publish statements supporting independence for Taiwan. According to Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, this type of threat “seeks to impose silence and encourage self-censorship over issues that […]
In a 13 April 2000 letter to Beijing’s government representative in Hong Kong, Jiang Enzou, RSF protested against threats made by one of his deputies to journalists who publish statements supporting independence for Taiwan. According to Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, this type of threat “seeks to impose silence and encourage self-censorship over issues that are unpopular with the communist authorities in Beijing.” Finally, RSF called on the representative not to intervene in the work of independent journalists and to respect press freedom, which is guaranteed by Hong Kong law.
According to the information collected by RSF, Wang Fengchao, an official of the central government liaison office in Hong Kong, told journalists at a meeting on 12 April that they must not publish opinions favouring independence for Taiwan. Wang asked the media to act responsibly “to defend the sovereignty and integrity of the country.” According to him, self-censorship on this subject “has nothing to do with press freedom”. Wang’s statements came just after a local TV channel broadcast an interview with Annette Lu Hsiu-lien, Taiwan’s vice-president, who supports independence.
