JOURNALISTS SHOT

Hokitika Guardian, 9 February 1935, Page 6

JOURNALISTS SHOT

BY GANGSTERS IN CHINA

SYDNEY, February 2

Between 1929 and 1934 more than 80 members el' tile Chinese Institute of Journalists were killed lor criticising tne Chinese Government.

Mr V. Y. Chow, a former member of the .institute and an Australianhorn Chinese, said on his return to Sydney a few days ago that gangsters were responsible for the assassinations. If these gangsters were not able to shoot the men, they would throw a bomb or poison them in some way. East December they shot the oldest newspaper proprietor in China because he refused to sell his papers to the Government. All the newspapers were not controlled by the Government. Some were still privately owned, but were edited by Government officials. “Shanghai is run by gangsters who are in Government employ,” said -Mr Chow. “The fight for the freedom of the press has been going on for seven years. Only recently Mr !Sze Liang Tai, the wealthiest owner of a. newspaper in China, was murdered by gangsters between Shanghai and Nanking. Altogether 80 out of 330 journalists have been shot in five years.” Mr Chow said his Australian birth protected him on many occasions. He was* now engaged on a history of the Chinese revolution of 1911. This revolution was led by a Sydney-born Chinese, Tse Tsan Tai, who was living in retirement in Hongkong. He was basing his work on documents and records. For the last 80 years the Chinese of Australia had been in the forefront of the movement which defeated the Manchu Dynasty and established the republic, the flag of which was designed by them. Australian Chinese were also behind the history of the revolution, which was now being prepared.