In 1984, George Orwell wrote about the "memory holes" down which
inconvenient documents were dropped to be erased from history. This case
seems to be the equivalent.
Today Melissa Chan, the al-Jazeera English television correspondent who, it was announced yesterday, had been expelled from China, seems to have become an "unperson" in China.
The only Chinese-language newspapers in which we could find reports on the expulsion on Wednesday morning were the Hong Kong-affiliated Ta Kung Pao paper from Henan province and the Global Times.
At the Foreign Ministry's daily press conference on Tuesday, 14 out of 18 questions were about the decision. Here's a helpful record of some provided by Voice Of America.
Q: I just want to know whether the expulsion of Melissa Chan should be seen as a warning to other journalists operating in China?
Hong Lei:
“I have just answered relevant questions. On the issue of foreign
journalists our policies and moves are easy to see. We will continue to
provide convenience for foreign journalists reporting in China and we
welcome foreign journalists to report in China. At the same time we need
to stress that foreign journalists should abide by Chinese laws and
regulations, as well as professional ethics of journalists while
reporting in China.”
Q: Can you tell us who made the decision to deny Ms. Chan, was it the Foreign Ministry or another department?
Hong Lei: “We deal with relevant matter in accordance with law.”
What Melissa Chan didn't realize is that she was on "Double Secret Probation" for breaking laws that are hidden in an undisclosed location that only Dick Cheney knows about.
Today Melissa Chan, the al-Jazeera English television correspondent who, it was announced yesterday, had been expelled from China, seems to have become an "unperson" in China.
The only Chinese-language newspapers in which we could find reports on the expulsion on Wednesday morning were the Hong Kong-affiliated Ta Kung Pao paper from Henan province and the Global Times.
At the Foreign Ministry's daily press conference on Tuesday, 14 out of 18 questions were about the decision. Here's a helpful record of some provided by Voice Of America.
Today, the Foreign Ministry's own website, which usually carries a transcript of each daily briefing seems to have expunged Ms Chan's case from the official record. There is no English transcript, just a Chinese one, and that makes no mention of any of the questions about her. Only the four other questions are recorded. The video story on the Chinese page is about the Philippines.
Q: I just want to know whether the expulsion of Melissa Chan should be seen as a warning to other journalists operating in China?
Reuters
A picture of Al-Jazeera correspondent Melissa Chan is seen at their China bureau office, in Beijing May 8, 2012.Q: Can you tell us who made the decision to deny Ms. Chan, was it the Foreign Ministry or another department?
Hong Lei: “We deal with relevant matter in accordance with law.”
What Melissa Chan didn't realize is that she was on "Double Secret Probation" for breaking laws that are hidden in an undisclosed location that only Dick Cheney knows about.
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