Media Watch:Journalist expelled from China

Aljazeera`s Melissa Chan

Media Watch: Journalist expelled from China

Courtesy of Sunday Express

Aljazeera English`s China Correspondent, Melissa Chan has been expelled from China after five years in the country.

The Television station`s English arm announced it had closed its Beijing bureau after the Chinese authorities refused to renew Chan`s press credentials or grant a visa for a replacement correspondent. Chan, a US citizen is said to be the first reporter in 14 years to be ejected from China.

During Chan`s five years in China she covered a vast range of topics, including environment, foreign policy, economics, social justice and labour rights. She produced several reports on China`s secret ``black jails’’, and in 2010 was blocked by Chinese authorities from visiting LiuXia, the wife of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Meanwhile in Kenya a Journalist working for the oldest newspaper Standard Mr. Paul Gitau has claimed that he has received threats following a story he wrote in the newspaper`s sister publication called the County Weekly about foreign criminals hiding in Malindi, Coast Province where he reports from.

He specifically said he received a threat from an Italian investor who warned him of dire consequences on the reports he was writing about. In the newspaper he wrote about how the Italian mafia had infiltrated the local administration and government departments in Malindi town.

He has reported the matter at the local Police station where he said that after the story was published 15 Italians met and formed a committee to deal with the matter.