【新唐人2012年8月8日讯】早前因报导大陆铁道体制改革，将启动“政企分开”方案，而导致记者被除名的《经济观察报》，日前疑因报导“北京洪灾”的真实伤亡情况，遭到当局查封。评论认为，中共当局为了在十八大前营造一个“稳定局面”，用这种杀鸡儆猴的作法消除民间杂音，让民怨末消的惨剧，再次成了舆论的焦点。
6号上午，《经济观察报》位于北京市东城区安德路的社址，遭到北京市文化局“扫黄打非办”执法队的查封，报社大门被贴上封条，报社牌子被摘下，从4号开始，北京市报摊上的《经济观察报》也被收缴。
据了解，《经济观察报》是由山东省“新闻出版局”和山东省委“宣传部”主办。北京当局查禁的理由是“异地办报，非法出版”。同时，《经济观察报》成了微博禁止搜索的敏感词，搜索时显示：根据相关法律法规和政策，搜索结果未予显示。
《经济观察报》在官方微博语带双关的留言说：“阻力是一定有的，可是我们必须奋斗到底，决不要灰心。”
《农产品市场周刊》主编黄良天指出，大陆没有《新闻法》，都是依照主管部门的规章制度或中宣部的口头指令行事。
《农产品市场周刊》主编黄良天：“他们（经济观察报）这边设立了一个编辑中心，这是其他各个报刊都有的，包括《南华报》在北京也都有，但是它被查封肯定是对北京这个水灾有所批评吧。这在中国大陆很平常的事情，经常不是毁你的报纸，就是撤你的版，撤你的领导人。”
香港作家、自由撰稿人张成觉指出，当局查封《经济观察报》的作法，就是杀鸡儆猴，恫吓别的媒体不要再对北京洪灾说三道四，想掩盖这次暴雨引起的惨剧，但是，却造成了反效果。
香港作家、自由撰稿人张成觉：“像这样的事情，最好不要再作声，或者是别有什么别的毛病被人抓住，你这样一来，人家很明显看出你这个意图，越引起人家的注目，成为一个焦点了，舆论的热点了，所以我觉得这是一个很愚蠢的行为。”
张成觉认为，这与中共十八大召开前夕，当局有意营造一个稳定的局面有关。
张成觉：“十八大它就不希望搞出什么新的麻烦，所以它就尽量的平息一下，底下不要有那么多的杂音干扰它，就这样，它有时候明知道这样做可能有反弹，它也会这样做，它们的逻辑就是一句话，我是流氓我怕谁。”
7月21号，北京遭遇特大暴雨，城区一片汪洋，许多汽车和房屋被大水淹没，“南方报业”旗下的《南方周末》，曾调集了十多名记者与实习生，奔走2000公里，采访了24位死难者家属，并记录下25位遇难者的名字和故事，但八个报导水灾实情的版面，在26号全部被撤；在此之前，《南方都市报》深度周刊四个深入报导水灾的版面也被撤下。
22号，中共当局已率先公布水灾死亡人数为37人，而在民怨沸腾下，死难者人数26号升到77人。但民怨末消，问责声仍不绝于耳。8月6号当局再次公布北京洪灾遇难者人数为79名。
但民众指称，北京暴雨死亡人数至少过万。大陆民众强烈要求北京市委书记郭金龙引咎下台。
采访编辑/李韵 后制/朱娣
Economic Observer Closure: ‘Killing A Chicken To Warn The Monkey’?
Due to a reform in the rail system, efforts will be made
to keep politics and business separate.
Yet, an office of the Economic Observer in Beijing has been
closed due to its factual report on Beijing flood’s casualties.
Critics believe, in order to create a façade of “stability,”
the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses this approach to reduce public dissention.
However, this seem to produce the opposite effect,
becoming a focus of public outcry.
On August 6, the Economic Observer’ (EO) office in Beijing
was shut down by China’s Ministry of Culture.
The news agency’s door was sealed and its sign taken off.
Its’ paper newsstands have also been collected.
According to sources, EO is overseen by Shandong Bureau
of Press & Publication and CCP’s Propaganda Department.
The reason for this was said to be EO’s illegal publishing,
and the need to open a newspaper office in a new location.
However, another reason could be that EO became
a sensitive search word on China’s Weibo.
Economic Observer’s message on
Weibo’s official website says,
“There is absolutely resistance, but we have to fight
until the end, and must not get discouraged.”
Market Weekly Editor in Chief Huang Liangtian points out,
Mainland China does not have the press law.
Everything is done according to the department in charge,
or verbal orders by the Central Propaganda Department.
Huang Liangtian: “They [EO] established an editing center
here, which every other news agency has, including South China Morning Post.
But the reason it [EO] was sealed must be
because it criticized the flood in Beijing.
This is very common in China. It will destroy your paper,
or revoke your registration, or remove your leaders.”
Hong Kong free lance writer Zhang Chengjue points out
the way Chinese regime sealed EO is a warning.
It’s killing a chicken to warn the monkey,’ to scare
other media to not talk and criticize the flood in Beijing.
The regime wanted to cover up the tragedy from this flood.
However, it achieved the opposite results.
Zhang Chengjue: “It is better to not make noise again
on things like this, to not let others see your flaws.
Otherwise people can clearly see your motive. The more
attention it gets, the more it becomes a topic of interest.
So I think it was a very moronic move.”
Zhang believes this is due to Chinese regime trying
to create a façade of stability before the 18 CCP congress.
Zhang Chengjue: “The 18 congress hopes to avoid any new
troubles, so it tries its best to suppress, so there isn’t so much dissent distracting it.
It knows that doing this may bring problems, but it still will
act this way. Their logic is, I’m the mafia, I’m not afraid of anyone.”
On July 21, unusually great rainstorm hit Beijing, the city
became like a sea, many cars and houses were submerged.
Afterwards, Infzm.com mobilized more than a dozen interns
traveling 2,000 km and interviewing relatives of victims.
They recorded 25 victims’ names and stories, however
8 of these truthful accounts were removed before the 26th.
Prior to this incident, four other in depth daily stories
on the flood were also removed.
On July 22, the Chinese regime have already announced
the number of flood victims to be 37.
Yet , due to pressure from the public for the real figure,
on the 26th the number of victims was announced to be 77.
This however did not appease citizens. Criticism,
questions and blames towards CCP authorities continued.
On August 6, the regime announced again
that the number of flood victims is 79.
Yet citizens are still unhappy. They say, tens of thousands
died in the rainstorm, and demand Beijing’ CCP Secretary Guo Jinlong to step down.
