Police warned author not to publish book
A book criticizing Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao went on sale in Hong Kong despite threats from police warning the author not to publish it. China’s Best Actor: Wen Jiabao aims to dispel the commonly held belief that the prime minister is a sympathetic reformist standing up to the authoritarian government of president Hu Jintao, says author Yu Jie. Jie was briefly detained in Hong Kong by police who told him not to publish the book. His publisher fears Jie may still be arrested and jailed. The book was launched in Hong Kong because its semi-autonomous status allows for less censorship than the rest of China. However, Jie hopes the message will spread to the mainland. “I think modern citizens in a modern society should have the right to criticize and be suspicious of their leaders,” Mr. Jie told the BBC. “The purpose of this book is not only to criticize individuals and the communist system, but also to develop the idea of freedom of speech.”