SYDNEY—Greens member of the NSW State Parliament, Ian Cohen says that interference of the Chinese delegation during the APEC press coverage in Australia is "frustrating".
Mr Cohen issued the statement following the deliberate obstruction of one of the accredited Epoch Times journalists, as well as at least two other media, from photographing Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao at the final Declaration Ceremony at Government House on Sunday, September 9.
Among the affected media were Sydney Morning Herald photographer Quenton Jones and Indonesian RCTI TV. Both had to obtain footage from alternative sources and expressed anger at the way they were handled.
Epoch Times reporter Sarah Maree Matheson said that the other media were in close proximity to her when they were asked to move to a different location. Minutes earlier she was approached by the Australian security personnel, who openly admitted copping "a huge amount of flak from the Chinese" over her presence at the event.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) representative Paul Malloy advised that the security was handled by the Attorney General's (AG) office, linked to Prime Minister Howard's office.
However, when questioned today the AG Public Affairs officer Glen Paul was not aware of the incident and said that an investigation will be conducted.
Australian Compliance 'Disturbing'
Mr Cohen expressed concern over the willingness of the Australian authorities to comply with the Chinese delegation.
"It would be disturbing indeed if in fact Australian authorities acted in any way to curb free speech during the time of APEC at the behest of the Chinese regime," said Mr Cohen.
"Criticism is the most valuable aspect of democracy and any comment about Chinese regime should be taken freely in the political and social aspect in Australia."
He also stressed that all media-related matters should be governed by Australian standards of communication.
According to the latest Reporters Without Borders Press freedom index China ranks 163rd, which places it among the worst ten violators in the world. Australia ranks 35th on the same scale.
Media Blacklist During APEC
Earlier last week, The Telegraph published a report into a "blacklist" being drawn up of media which the Chinese leader Hu Jintao saw as "threatening" due to their liberal coverage on Chinese affairs.
The list, reportedly handled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was headed "CHINESE MEDIA—Do not register" and contained names of 14 media organisations to be excluded from "high level events", The Telegraph reported.
The Epoch Times was among the list, despite gaining full accreditation from the top levels of Australian authorities.
Past Mistakes Repeated?
Meanwhile, visiting Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas warned that the handling of media during APEC was similar to the events that happened in his own country during the 1997 APEC Summit in Vancouver.
A decade ago Canada obliged to the conditions of the Indonesian dictator Suharto by attacking protestors and using excessive force to push them out of sight of the conference venue.
Mr Matas urged Western nations like Australia to get into a positive cycle when dealing with dictatorial regimes, such as China, by encouraging more democratic approaches, rather than compromising those freedoms.
"Once the Hu Jintao regime is gone from China, the people of China will reject the attempts by Australia to curry favour with that regime. Australia should have learned the bitter APEC lessons of the 1997 Canada meeting—that catering to dictatorial regimes is no way to run an APEC meeting," said Mr Matas.
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