For immediate release JY&A Media

Contacts: Jack Yan, Publisher (Wellington) Lucire T 64 4 387-3213, F 64 4 387-3213 E jack.yan@jyanet.com	Amanda Dolheguy Delineate Ltd. A JY&A Consulting global partner T 64 3 366-3690, cellphone 64 21 328-869 E [email protected]
Nikola McCarthy, Advertising Manager (Auckland) Lucire T 64 21 4-LUCIRE (458-2473) E nikola.mccarthy@lucire.com	Summer Rayne Oakes, US Editor (New York) Lucire E summerrayne.oakes@lucire.com
Ann Fryer, Associate Publisher (New York) Lucire T 1 203 979-6166 E ann.fryer@lucire.com	Simone Knol, Editor, web edition Lucire T 44 7876 701-505 E simone.knol@lucire.com

Publisher outraged at barring of Nick Wang from Parliamentary event

Jack Yan reminds Red Chinese that their sovereignty ends at Embassy doors

Wellington, March 27 (JY&A Media) Jack Yan, publisher of Lucire, says he is 'outraged' by the barring of journalist Nick Wang from a Parliamentary event last night, and says it is among a 'pattern' of suppression that the New Zealand Government is either ignoring, or endorsing.
   Earlier reports indicate that Red Chinese Embassy officials had pressured Marie McNicholas, the head of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, to bar Mr Wang from reporting on the visit of Zeng Peiyan (Tsang Pui Yam, 曾培炎), an official from Beijing. Mrs McNicholas refused, and told Radio New Zealand that officials may have approached members of the New Zealand police force.
   'We generally have some of the best police officers in the world,' says Mr Yan. 'The Red Chinese government needs to understand that they do not have the right to give orders to our cops, especially not the right to suppress a New Zealand-based journalist in the course of his job.
   'This is New Zealand territory, and diplomatic missions are here by convention, not by right.
   'Red Chinese sovereignty ends at their Embassy's doors. They do not extend on to New Zealand soil,' he says. 'Why certain MPs like Peter Dunne and I have to remind Beijing of this, constantly, is beyond me.'
   Both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are saying the incident is a misunderstanding which has been blown out of proportion.
   'A free press and New Zealand sovereignty deserve to be protected, and if the Government believes either can be so readily dismissed, then they are ignoring, or endorsing, a pattern of Politburo pressure,' says Mr Yan.
   'Red China's actions, once again, make me question their understanding of other nations' rights, and why we should even pursue a free-trade deal with a régime that does not respect New Zealanders or New Zealand jobs.'
   Mr Yan says that he has found Mr Wang to be a fair and balanced journalist, who has never been staunchly anti-Beijing in his reports in the Capital Chinese News.
   Mr Yan adds that he was disappointed that the Leader of the Opposition, John Key, did not raise the matter with Mr Zeng in his meeting earlier today, and questions why no other MP with Chinese ethnicity has publicly stood by Mr Wang.

Images
Images for this release may be downloaded at <http://jya.net/070327pr0.htm>.

About Lucire
Lucire, the global fashion magazine (www.lucire.com), started on the web in 1997. In October 2004, it became the first magazine in its sector to extend its brand into a print magazine. By May 2005, it became the first web magazine to spawn two national print editions. Lucire became the first fashion industry partner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, www.unep.org). It is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand and published by Lucire LLC. For print edition information, see <http://www.lucire.net>.

About Jack Yan
Jack Yan founded Jack Yan & Associates (http://jya.net), one of the world’s first virtual firms, in 1987. His company is based or represented in over a dozen countries worldwide. Among his company’s interests are business consulting, imaging, software and media, including the fashion magazine brand Lucire. He writes on topics, ranging from branding and business responsibility to fashion and typography, in numerous publications worldwide and is a regular international speaker. His personal site is at www.jackyan.com, and features a highly regarded blog.

Notes to editors
Lucire is a registered trade mark of Jack Yan & Associates and subject to protection in certain jurisdictions. All other trade marks are the properties of their respective owners and are only used in a descriptive fashion without any intention to infringe.

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