Yesterday I noted an apparent "cleansing" of the press conference transcripts on the mainland's Foreign Affairs Ministry website of comments on Ching Cheong, the Straits Times of Singapore reporter who has been detained for over a month for trying to obtain transcripts of interviews with the late Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang.

Today's update in The Standard is entitled "Beijing fails to shed light on held Ching". A nice collection of tidbits of information on Ching, but the title is a bit misleading.

An a regular press briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Kong Quan said Ching, the senior China correspondent for Singapore's Straits Times, failed to comply with mainland rules governing journalists.

China expert Ong Yew-kim said the remarks revealed a ``softened'' approach by Beijing and it was possible that officials are still ``gathering evidence.''

The mainland regulations for journalists are so restrictive, that few foreign journalists bother to comply with all of the notifications of authorities. But the mainland officials will haul out the cumbersome regulations, that really are a throwback to the Maoist autarky, to detain journalists reporting on sensitive topics, like the riot in Zhejiang a month or so ago.

Sounds to me like the mainland officials are backpedaling from this lie about overseas intelligence agencies being involved pretty damn fast. Also note that The Standard article includes updates on Zhao Yan, the NY Times affiliated journalist that's been held so long that the CCP trumped up new charges to let the 7 month period of detention without trial to restart. Also mentioned are two Chinese social scientists charged with State Secrets offences, "Lu Jianhua, 45, and Chen Hui".

Simon World on Ching Cheong
Simon World on Gold Medal Gaols
Glutter on Ching Cheong
Glutter updates on Ching Cheong
Big White Guy on Ching Cheong
Big White Guy on Spying Lie
No links at a specific other Hong Kong blog that favours one party rule in China.
Milton Jay Madison round up of Ching Cheong news
Singapore Angle on Ching Cheong
Singapore Angle update on Straits Times
Singapore Angle update on wider reaction to Ching Cheong's detention