Macao Daily journalists arrested

On August 29, the assistant publisher of Macao Daily, Cui Zizhao, and intern reporter Liang Jiawei were detained overnight in a local police station. At 9 a.m. the next day they were taken to the procuratorate. Government has become more repressive, but news about this in Macao is being restricted. The largest circulation newspaper in Macao, Macao Daily, ran a column on page A3 defending Cui Shi’an, (chief executive of Macao), putting on a show of support.

A group of more than 10 people from a civil society reform group went to the procuratorate to support Cui Zizhao and Liang Jiawei. The supporters criticized the police crackdown on activists. According to an on-site journalist’s understanding, after Cui Zizhao and Liang Jiawei were taken to the procuratorate, they had to wait quite awhile and then answer the procurator’s questions. Now they must wait for a decision on whether the government will pursue a case against them. The civil society supporters held signs saying “Entrapment is shameful.” One supporter, former Legislative Council member Chen Weizhi, pointed out this string of incidents has reduced confidence in the government.