Journalist tells of fear after sex slave story

(Shanghai Daily)

10:10, September 24, 2011

Shanghai--The journalist who was the first to report a sex slave case in central China's Luoyang City said yesterday he had been followed by two men who demanded he reveal his sources and accused him of betraying a "state secret."

Southern Metropolis Daily reporter Ji Xuguang got the sex slave story, told in yesterday's Shanghai Daily, when a police officer told him about the case. 

Li Hao, 34, an official with Luoyang City's Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, has been arrested for abducting six KTV women, murdering two of them and keeping the others locked up in a cellar as sex slaves for two years.

All four women rescued by police are now under investigation as they are alleged to be involved in the killing of the two women who were found buried in the cellar.

In an article in his newspaper yesterday, Ji said that when he wrote the original story he didn't realize that though the case shocked Luoyang police officers, government and police officials had been trying their best to conceal the story. Very few high-ranking authorities knew about the case and a special team had been assigned to handle it, Ji said. 

The strict security surrounding the case was probably because the city was bidding for the title of China's "most civilized city" and it was believed that if the news got out it would have a negative social effect, he wrote.

On Thursday, after his story about the sex slave scandal was published, Ji revealed on his microblog that two men claiming to be government officials had followed him to a hotel in the city and demanded he tell them where he got his information. 

"They told me that by reporting the case I had committed the crime of revealing a state secret," Ji told the Qingdao-based City Sun Newspaper. "I don't understand what kind of state secret I have betrayed in the slave story."

Ji said he left Luoyang during the night with friends and relatives. He said he was carrying a knife to defend himself in case of violence. His fear derived from the killing of a 30-year-old news reporter with Luoyang Television, who died early last Sunday from 13 knife wounds. 

Police later said they had detained two men on charges of killing and robbing the reporter and insisted it was a simple case of robbery. The two men had acted on their own and had no connection to other groups, they said. 

At the time of his death, Li Xiang had been investigating the illegal production of swill oil in the city.

Ji said yesterday that his informant had called him to say he would not be able to give any more information.

The police officer told him the investigation team in the case believed that publishing more details could cause public panic, Ji said.

An official with the Luoyang City government told the City Sun that they didn't know anything about two men following and questioning Ji.

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Leave your comment4 comments

thomas at 2011-09-24202.89.190.*

For the good of the country any news how bad has to be published steps have to be taken so it would not happen again sweeping it under the carpet would not work it will only spread more negative rumours

LC at 2011-09-24183.39.46.*

How did CPC elect and appoint govt officials?

ming at 2011-09-2458.11.87.*

Central investigation officials should send team ofofficials to protect him (Mr. Ji)

zhongyin at 2011-09-2458.192.126.*

Foolish and arogant officers, should suspand this kind of officers who are forcing journalists to find out this kind of horrible things. Its their duty to wite about public issues..why these foolish officers don"t know a simple thing that just declare a city for most civilized city dnt mean to firce journalist..if you are forcing them and stoping them to do their work then I think this city is the most weired city in china.

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