CHINA: Beijing accuses Straits Times journalist of spying

Ministry spokesman says Ching admitted to being paid for information, a charge his wife denies

The Straits Times
Wednesday, June 1, 2005

By Chua Chin Hon

China yesterday accused a detained Straits Times senior correspondent of spying for "foreign intelligence agencies" and being paid for it, charges his wife immediately denied.

Beijing alleged that ST's Chief China Correspondent Ching Cheong, 55, had confessed to spying and admitted having received large sums of money in return.

But his wife, Ms Mary Lau, said in a statement from Hong Kong, where the couple live: "Ching Cheong has been thrifty and patriotic since a young age. We have no children and lead a simple life. What reason is there to engage in spying activities and endanger the country?"

Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes The Straits Times, said it was shocked by the spying accusation.

Reiterating that Mr Ching had conducted himself with the utmost professionalism since joining the paper in 1996, it said in a statement: "Until we see incontrovertible evidence, we stand by our belief that he has always acted in the best interests of The Straits Times."

Mr Ching was detained on April 22 and China's Foreign Ministry said yesterday: 'He admitted that in recent years, he has been instructed by foreign intelligence agencies to engage in intelligence gathering activities in mainland China, and has collected large amounts of fees for spying.'

Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Beijing had "full evidence to support this case". But he neither named the agencies Mr Ching allegedly spied for nor provided further details on when or where the alleged spying took place, citing "state security".

He also brushed off reports that the case was linked to a manuscript of secret interviews with former Chinese Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang before his recent death.

"The key for Mr Ching's case is that he himself admitted to all his illegal activities in China, and relevant authorities in China are carrying out further investigations into the case," Mr Kong said.

Chinese embassy officials in Singapore also took pains, during a meeting with Straits Times editors yesterday, to dismiss suggestions that Mr Ching's detention had anything to do with the Zhao manuscript, saying instead it was related to his "illegal spying activities".

They were unable to provide any more details on these allegations, but told ST editors that Mr Ching's 'safety and well-being would be guaranteed'.

Earlier media reports had speculated that Mr Ching was detained for trying to get hold of a copy of the politically sensitive manuscript containing secret interviews with Mr Zhao, who had opposed the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

The media reports suggested that the Chinese government may have acted to prevent the manuscript from being published ahead of the June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.

All questions about Mr Ching's detention were left out of the official transcript posted on the ministry's website. Such deletions are usual for politically sensitive content deemed undesirable for the domestic readers.

Senior editors of The Straits Times said yesterday they were surprised by the spying charges and expressed full support for Mr Ching and his family.

Editor-in-chief Cheong Yip Seng said: "As far as we are concerned, we have no reason to believe that Ching Cheong was engaged in such activities. In all the years that he's been with us, he has always acted with the utmost professionalism. He served us with great distinction and unless we see incontrovertible evidence, we stand by our belief that he has always acted in the best interest of his newspaper."

Straits Times editor Han Fook Kwang, who was heading for Hong Kong yesterday from a newspaper conference in Seoul, said: 'We have engaged lawyers and will be making legal representation on Ching Cheong's behalf.

"I met his wife Mary last Friday to assure her of our full support and will be meeting her again tomorrow to discuss the latest development."

SPH has engaged one of China's largest law firms, the Jun He Law Offices, to assist Mr Ching and his family.

The veteran journalist holds a British national (overseas) passport and is a Singapore permanent resident.

Mr Kong said he did not think the case would undermine China's relations "with the relevant countries".

A Singapore Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said that the Singapore Embassy in Beijing had approached the Chinese side to ask about Mr Ching's welfare.

A British embassy spokesman in Beijing said yesterday that the embassy was seeking consular access to him.

Chinese MFA says:

"On April 22, Ching Cheong was investigated by relevant Chinese agencies for involvement in spying activities. He admitted that in recent years, he has been instructed by foreign intelligence agencies to engage in intelligence gathering activities in mainland China, and has collected large amounts of fees for spying. Currently, the relevant departments are investigating further into his spying activities."

Ms Mary Lau says:

"Ching Cheong has been thrifty and patriotic since a young age. We have no children and lead a simple life. What reason is there to engage in spying activities and endanger the country?"

SPH says:

"We are shocked by this new accusation. As we have stated in our press statements, we have no cause to doubt that in all the years that Ching Cheong has worked with us, he has conducted himself with the utmost professionalism. Until we see incontrovertible evidence, we stand by our belief that he has always acted in the best interests of The Straits Times."

Date Posted: 6/1/2005