Teresa Kok

I feel very sad over the punishment meted out on the China Press and its two senior editors.

Ever since the Squatgate Commission hearing was told that the woman in the MMS clip was a Malay and not a Chinese national, the focus on the issue was diverted from questioning police abuse of detainees in lock-up. From then on, eyes were on whether the media and/or I made any mistake.

When I was having my holiday in China last week, UMNO politicians in a hurry to be a deputy minister or at least Parliamentary Secretary, particularly Shabery Cheek, encouraged the victim to sue me for exposing the scandal.

We were aware of rumours China Press has been targeted for “nude ear-squats” by the Internal Security Ministry. I was told a few other Chinese dailies also received warning or show cause letters from the ministry.

Journalists from these dailies are very upset with the action taken against China Press. They are upset with the news report published in New Straits Times on Monday which they thought was biased and NST failed to show solidarity with the China Press in its unsympathetic write up.

China Press was targeted simply because it was the first paper to carry the news about the scandal, and the paper made the wrong call by using the term “Chinese national” in its caption in the night edition. The editors then spotted the mistake and corrected the caption for the day edition. Chinese press journalists wants to know why China Press is being penalised so heavily even though the error was immediately rectified and the mistake was unintentional and there were no ulterior motives.

The penalties and threats against the media will not go down well with the ground. The government is facing a crisis of confidence and is perceived to be looking for scapegoats to cover up its embarrassment and that of the police.

The initial thoughts of many among those who viewed the clip was that the woman was a Chinese. It certainly wasn’t because of the China Press caption that you and I, and Pak Lah and Najib thought the victim was a foreigner. Najib admitted that he and Pak Lah’s first thoughts were also that she was a Chinese. Since most of us thought so, why pick on China Press now?

China Press is owned by the Nanyang Press Group which became part of the MCA stable of papers a few years ago. It is shocking no MCA leaders protested against the “disciplinary action”against China Press. It is a shame Chia Kwang Chye, the deputy minister who oversees publication section in the Internal Security Ministry, failed to save China Press from being penalised.

At the end of the day, it was the DAP who stood up for the China Press and its employees. Another case of “Dang Jia Bu Dang Quan” (the master without power)?

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Axe falls on two China Press editors

Two high-ranking editors of Chinese-language daily China Press have been removed from their positions, but the evening edition of the newspaper escaped suspension over an erroneous report on the infamous ‘nude ear-squats’ issue.

Informed sources with the daily said the management had briefed the staff today that editor-in-chief Chong Choong Nam and executive editor-in-chief Wang Zhao Ping would be transferred.

Chong will be appointed as personal assistant to Nanyang Press Holdings chairperson Wong See Wah, who is a former MCA politician. Nanyang Press is the owner of the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Wang will be retained at the daily as a ‘special project manager’. There was no information on replacements for the duo at the daily.

The sources also said the management did not state the reason for their removal, but the decision is widely believed to be linked to the controversy over the nude ‘ear-squats’ video recording.

On Dec 19, the daily had received a show-cause letter over the matter from the government.

A notice on the editorial reshuffle will be published in the daily soon, the sources added.

Chong, when contacted this afternoon, refused to confirm his termination.

“I am yet to be officially informed, I am still waiting for an arrangement,” he said.
When asked whether the “arrangement” referred to the removal, he responded: “It’s not clear yet. I was told to take leave and I have been on leave for a few days, I don’t know what is going on in the office.”

He also refused to say on how long he would be on leave.

Show-cause letter

The ministry’s show-cause letter is believed to be linked to the newspaper’s Nov 23 evening edition, which was the first to report the existence of the video clip purportedly showing a Chinese national being forced by a policewoman to do ear-squats in the nude.

The next day, opposition parliamentarian Teresa Kok showed the video clip in Parliament. This was allegedly recorded by a peeping Tom police officer with a mobile phone at a restricted area in the Petaling Jaya police station.

The issue caused outrage nationwide. As the scandal unfolded, Home Minister Azmi Khalid visited China on a six-day fence-mending mission.

An independent commission of inquiry was later set up to probe the matter and the nude woman was found to be a local Malay. Fingers were then pointed at the media for the error in identifying the victim.

Speculation then began that the China Press evening edition would be suspended should it fail to take action to please the authorities, such as a change in senior editorial staff.

The newspaper, which produces both a morning and evening edition, has the second highest circulation among the five major Chinese dailies.

The newspaper, along with sister daily Nanyang Siang Pau, was taken over by Chinese-based political party MCA in a strongly resisted move four years ago.