Violence as a tool of the Chinese communist regime was wielded against The Epoch Times once again on Tuesday night. Less than three weeks after thugs bound and beat Epoch Times chief technical officer Yuan (Peter) Li in his Atlanta home and stole his laptop computers, four hammer-wielding brutes smashed their way into the Hong Kong Epoch Times office, destroying an expensive piece of printing equipment.
"The Chinese communist regime has sunk to a new low in its vain attempts to silence our newspaper," said John Nania, editor-in-chief of the newspaper's English-language edition. "It is a brazen attack on freedom of the press. We hope that supporters of freedom worldwide will speak out against this emerging pattern of terrorist acts against independent media."
The four thugs, Chinese men of 20 to 30 years old, shattered and then stepped through the Epoch Times office's glass front door at 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday, when staff were still in the office. They then stalked through the office looking for something specific, says Epoch Times Hong Kong spokesperson Cheryl Ng, who was present at the time of the attack.
The men ordered the seven staff members present to stay put, but the staff followed them, asking them what they were doing. One staff picked up a phone to call the police but was stopped by one of the intruders who raised a hammer as though to strike her.
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'Here It Is'
After spotting the new machine, a CTP developer, one of the men said, "Here it is."
They smashed the machine with their hammers, and then left immediately. They did not touch any other equipment in the office.
The print shop was recently brought on line. The CTP developer was a brand new machine, costing one million Hong Kong dollars ($129,000). It generates microfilm from the computerized newspaper layout which is then used in printing the paper.
Chinese Communist Campaign against The Epoch Times
Ms. Ng noted that this was the latest incident of a long-running campaign of the Chinese communist regime against The Epoch Times and that the regime had been trying to stop the printing of The Epoch Times in Hong Kong.
In May 2005, the Epoch Times printing contractor unexpectedly refused to renew its agreement, leaving the newspaper without a printer. The Epoch Times searched Hong Kong for a printing company but found many were afraid to take on the work.
Ms. Ng says, "None of the print shops would come out and say the Communist Party had put pressure on them to refuse our business. But why would they refuse perfectly good business? It was obvious what was happening."
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The newspaper was forced to find printing companies on a day-to-day basis until it was able to purchase equipment for its own printing shop. That print shop had only been in operation for two weeks at the time of Tuesday's attack. "That the equipment had just been put in place in Hong Kong before the attack shows that the communist regime is watching us closely," says Nania.
His comments are supported by Chinese spy documents provided by a defecting Chinese security officer last summer.
Hao Fengjun, a former Chinese security officer who defected to Australia in February brought with him files detailing spying efforts oversees, including efforts to target The Epoch Times.
One report, dated October 21, 2004 was addressed to a bureau chief in a Tianjin City branch of China's security apparatus surnamed Zhang. The report said an agent named Zhang Yue "has already infiltrated into The Epoch Times in Hong Kong."
"The essential task now is how to best position this agent and let [Zhang Yue] infiltrate deeper and higher and give full play of their special effect. We need to have long term plan for directing this agent, we shouldn't rush."
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The report said at least three agents reporting to the Tianjin office had made their way into The Epoch Times .
"The key is to direct them to obtain internal information from The Epoch Times more directly," the report said.
Another spy report described a meeting in meeting held on January 11, 2005 in Vancouver, which addressed the financial situation of the Vancouver office of The Epoch Times .
A Trend of Attacks
Ms. Ng said the attack in Hong Kong has the same violent signature as the attack against Mr. Li in an Atlanta suburb on Feb. 8. Four Asian thugs forced their way into his home, beat him with the butt ends of a knife and gun, and then, ignoring valuables in the home, stole his two laptops.
Epoch Times staff report that their relatives in mainland China have received threats from Chinese communist officials. In Malaysia, the government banned the printing of The Epoch Times —under pressure from the Chinese communist regime, according to press watchdog groups.
In addition there is constant ongoing phone harassment in Hong Kong, on staff members' private phones, and on the office phone. Epoch Times staffers around the world have also reported receiving harassing phone calls.
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"We are asking police and security agencies around the world to be on the alert," says Nania. "The Epoch Times is clearly being targeted."
The Nine Commentaries
Ms. Ng believes the Epoch Times publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party is key to understanding this recent string of incidents.
The Nine Commentaries is a series of editorials published by The Epoch Times in late 2004. The Nine Commentaries is a hard-hitting, honest dissection of the history of the Chinese Communist Party. Hong Kong Epoch Times has distributed over 7 million copies, many of which have been carried by tourists back into mainland China.
The publication and distribution of the Nine Commentaries has inspired over 8 million Chinese to renounce all association with the Chinese Communist Party on a website set up by The Epoch Times . This includes many who have accessed the site from inside China, bypassing the regime's internet blockades.
In general Ms. Ng says The Epoch Times is recognized by the common people of China as their voice, and within Hong Kong as a benchmark for freedom.
She says this latest incident will not stop The Epoch Times from printing in Hong Kong.
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