Hong Kong journalist lacking after occurring reporting journey to mainland China

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A journalist reporting for one in every of Hong Kong’s major English-language newspapers has gone lacking since travelling to mainland China, in accordance with reviews.

Minnie Chan, a defence and diplomacy reporter with the South China Morning Publish (SCMP), has been unreachable since she travelled to Beijing to cowl a defence discussion board in October, Japan’s Kyodo Information reported, citing sources.

Household and mates of Ms Chan concern she could have been detained and positioned underneath investigation by the Chinese language authorities.

The Hong Kong Journalists Affiliation in an announcement on Friday mentioned it was involved “about Minnie Chan’s security and is asking South China Morning Publish to be taught extra”. The affiliation urged relations and mates to achieve out with extra data.

The Alibaba-owner newspaper mentioned Ms Chan was presently “on private depart”.

“Her household has knowledgeable us that she is in Beijing however wants time to deal with a personal matter,” SCMP informed The Unbiased in an announcement. “Her household has informed us she is protected however has requested that we respect her privateness. We’re involved with Minnie’s household and we’ve got no additional data to reveal.

“The security of our journalists in the midst of their skilled work is of the utmost significance to the South China Morning Publish. This has at all times been our precept. We’ll proceed to speak with Minnie’s household and supply all the mandatory help they want. The Publish’s operations and information protection stay unaffected.”

The award-winning journalist was in mainland China to attend the three-day Xiangshan Discussion board on regional safety which ended on 31 October.

Ms Chan’s final information report, printed on 1 November, mentioned China’s mediating function in Israel’s battle on Hamas in Gaza. She has been working with the publication since 2005, in accordance with her bio on the web site, which claims she “has had a number of scoops referring to China’s army improvement”.

She had beforehand written concerning the Chinese language army’s overhaul and the abrupt sacking of defence minister Li Shangfu.

She had up to now labored for the now-defunct Apple Day by day newspaper, whose founder Jimmy Lai is going through nationwide safety costs, in accordance with Ms Chan’s LinkedIn profile.

Her most up-to-date Fb submit dated 11 November options footage of her on vacation, whereas on X she final shared an article on 20 October.

One in all Ms Chan’s Fb mates informed Al Jazeera that her WhatsApp account confirmed her as final on-line on 2 November and that her latest exercise was “very unusual”.

Whereas Hong Kong enjoys higher press freedom as a particular administrative area, mainland China ranks a hundred and seventy fifth out of 180 nations on the World Press Freedom Index because it continues to “prolong its data management mannequin not solely inside its borders, but in addition past them”.

Beijing has additionally been tightening its grip on dissent and the free press in Hong Kong, nevertheless, forcing not less than three pro-democracy newspapers there to shut in recent times.

China can also be the world’s largest captor of journalists, with greater than 100 presently detained, in accordance with Reporters with out Borders.

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