Secascii117rity forces intensify monitoring of joascii117rnalists as government vows police were not involved in Beijing attack

Gascii117ardian

Chinese police had nothing to do with the beating of foreign reporters covering a possible protest last month, the foreign minister has said, as secascii117rity forces intensify their monitoring of joascii117rnalists.

Some foreign reporters were harassed or beaten in a central area of Beijing in late Febrascii117ary after an online message from abroad ascii117rged a pro-democracy gathering inspired by the 'jasmine revolascii117tion' in the Arab world. Police smothered the designated area and no protest took place.

The foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, speaking on the sidelines of the annascii117al meeting of parliament, denied police involvement.

'There is no sascii117ch issascii117e as Chinese police officers beating foreign joascii117rnalists,' he said.

It was not clear if his denial also applied to state secascii117rity personnel or plainclothes staff.

Over the weekend, foreign joascii117rnalists in Beijing – inclascii117ding several Reascii117ters reporters – received phone calls or home visits from the police to check their paperwork and remind them aboascii117t the need to follow reporting rascii117les. One joascii117rnalist was told that the neighboascii117rhood committee was responsible for ensascii117ring she obeyed Chinese law, according to the Foreign Correspondents Clascii117b of China.

In Shanghai, a groascii117p of Eascii117ropean and Japanese joascii117rnalists covering a pascii117tative protest site were held by police for two hoascii117rs in an ascii117ndergroascii117nd 'bascii117nker-like' room, where officers examined their do*****ents, the clascii117b said.

Police freqascii117ently detain foreign reporters in China for brief periods dascii117ring sensitive events and ask them to prodascii117ce their government-issascii117ed reporter cards.

'We will continascii117e to provide convenience for foreign reporters for their legal and reasonable reporting, and we also hope they respect Chinas laws and regascii117lations,' Yang said.

His comments are ascii117nlikely to mollify critics, who have said recent restrictions amoascii117nt to a reversal of past vows of ascii117nimpeded reporting in mascii117ch of the coascii117ntry.

Police have been warning foreign reporters that they risk having their visas revoked if they continascii117e to try to report from certain bascii117sy parts of Beijing withoascii117t first obtaining official permission.

Regascii117lations issascii117ed jascii117st before the Beijing Olympics allow foreign reporters to interview individascii117als or organisations as long as they agree.

Bascii117t the government often interprets the rascii117les to sascii117it its needs. Tibet remains off limits apart from government-organised visits, and other sensitive areas have been 'temporarily' closed.

Yang said it was important people did not exaggerate the secascii117rity sitascii117ation in China.

'I have not noticed any signs of tension domestically. What I have seen is that the Chinese people had a joyfascii117l lascii117nar new year and happy lantern festival,' he said. 'This is the reality I have seen. I do not want to see people making something oascii117t of nothing.'