Journalist Defector Tells of Abuse and Corruption in China
Sep 6, 2009
Qiu Mingwei, a former journalist of the People's Daily who recently fled China, says that more and more Chinese Communist Party members are becoming disappointed in the organization and renouncing it online, using either their real names or an alias.
Qiu, 34, worked as the Deputy Chief of the "People’s Forum," a subsidiary of the People’s Daily, the main mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the mainland.
At a press conference in Hong Kong on Aug. 23 he publicly renounced the CCP, making his case another in a string of high-profile defections of individuals in Communist Party propaganda and intelligence organs. Previous cases include Chen Yonglin, a former diplomat; Hao Fengjun, a former member of the “610 office,” an agency set up specifically to persecute adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice; Han Guangsheng, a former Public Security Bureau director; and Li Fengzhi, a former intelligence officer.
Qiu said what he considered the “long-term, continuous brainwashing” that staff endured at the People's Daily made a lot of staff members unhappy.
"Do you know which song do we have to listen to everyday?" he asked rhetorically. "'There Would Be No New China Without the Communist Party.' I've been listening to that song since I was in elementary school. I'm so fed up with it," he said.
"You will lose your job and even put your life in danger if you publicly claim to withdraw from the CCP in mainland China. You will face an even worse situation if you work at the People's Daily because the authorities will immediately assume you played a role in degrading the public’s perception of the Communist regime," he said.
Oct. 1 of this year marks the 60th anniversary of the CCP’s coming to power. As the date nears, the regime has stepped up its suppression of dissidents, including religious adherents, petitioners, lawyers, and civil rights activists.
Qiu remarked on an internally circulated document instructing that, in his words: "China should be cleaned up before the National Day, and appellants should be put under control. Democracy movement activists should be placed under surveillance, to ensure the safety of the National Day. Funding for this operation is highly secured, and these instructions are permitted to circulate throughout the organization."
Sep 6, 2009
Qiu Mingwei, a former journalist of the People's Daily who recently fled China, says that more and more Chinese Communist Party members are becoming disappointed in the organization and renouncing it online, using either their real names or an alias.
Qiu, 34, worked as the Deputy Chief of the "People’s Forum," a subsidiary of the People’s Daily, the main mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the mainland.
At a press conference in Hong Kong on Aug. 23 he publicly renounced the CCP, making his case another in a string of high-profile defections of individuals in Communist Party propaganda and intelligence organs. Previous cases include Chen Yonglin, a former diplomat; Hao Fengjun, a former member of the “610 office,” an agency set up specifically to persecute adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice; Han Guangsheng, a former Public Security Bureau director; and Li Fengzhi, a former intelligence officer.
Qiu said what he considered the “long-term, continuous brainwashing” that staff endured at the People's Daily made a lot of staff members unhappy.
"Do you know which song do we have to listen to everyday?" he asked rhetorically. "'There Would Be No New China Without the Communist Party.' I've been listening to that song since I was in elementary school. I'm so fed up with it," he said.
"You will lose your job and even put your life in danger if you publicly claim to withdraw from the CCP in mainland China. You will face an even worse situation if you work at the People's Daily because the authorities will immediately assume you played a role in degrading the public’s perception of the Communist regime," he said.
Oct. 1 of this year marks the 60th anniversary of the CCP’s coming to power. As the date nears, the regime has stepped up its suppression of dissidents, including religious adherents, petitioners, lawyers, and civil rights activists.
Qiu remarked on an internally circulated document instructing that, in his words: "China should be cleaned up before the National Day, and appellants should be put under control. Democracy movement activists should be placed under surveillance, to ensure the safety of the National Day. Funding for this operation is highly secured, and these instructions are permitted to circulate throughout the organization."
