Media must work within China's laws in 2008-IOC

BEIJING, May 18: Media will have the same freedom they have enjoyed in other Olympic host cities when they cover the Beijing Games in 2008 but will have to respect Chinese law, the head of the IOC's inspection team said today.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) this week called on the International Olympic Committee to address the ''Chinese government's continuing crackdown on the media'' with the authorities during this week's inspection visit.

Hein Verbruggen, whose IOC coordination commission has just concluded its inspection, said chief Beijing organiser Liu Qi -- a member of the governing politburo -- had last year reaffirmed China's commitment to allow journalists to work freely.

''It's a very important part of our discussions, a very important subject because the media is the largest group of people we're going to have here,'' he told Reuters.

''Including the technical people, it's going to be more than 20,000 people, double the number of athletes.

''We've demanded this by the host city contract, the media have to be able to work as they have at other Olympic Games.'' Verbruggen added that just as in the United States and his native Netherlands, there was no escaping obedience to local laws for reporters.

''In this country there are laws and they have to be respected,'' he said. ''That is something we have to accept and everybody has to accept.

''As long as the media behaves in the normal way, then I'm sure there will be no problems ... If it's in the law, then it is in the law.'' At least four Chinese journalists and Internet writers are expected to stand trial this month on various charges including extortion and blackmail, and inciting subversion.

Although local journalists have born the brunt of the crackdown, there are also restrictions on, and occasional harassment of, foreign media in China, the CPJ said.

REUTERS