An article detailing the ongoing situation involving tennis player Peng Shuai and her allegations of sexual assault has been removed from the website of Hong Kong’s state broadcaster and scrubbed from the internet, according to a leading source.
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is a public broadcasting service that is funded by taxpayers’ money in the country. Earlier this week it published a report saying that ‘western media’ haven’t been able to get into contact with Peng since she published a 1500-word post on her Weibo account accusing a former vice-premier of China of sexual assault. The article also mentioned that the WTA has questioned the authenticity of Shuai’s email which was sent to them amid concerns she is being censored by authorities.
It is understood that the article was first published on November 18th, 16 days after Shuai’s post, but has since been permanently removed with no other mention about the case on the website. According to The Hong Kong Free Press, a cached version of the page temporarily was stored on Google on Monday but vanished the following day.
No explanation has been provided as to why the story has been removed. In a statement sent to the Hong Kong Free Press by RTHK, the broadcaster was quoted as saying they “will not comment on the internal editorial matters” and “aspires to achieve accuracy.”
However, the removal of the article could possibly be linked to influence from China who has censored the Shuai story in their country. In August this year Honk Kong leader Carrie Lam said RTHK seeks to build a long-term relationship with CCTV which is under control of the Chinese government. The following month staff at the organisation was forced to support national security laws and the interests of the Chinese government, according to The Independent.
Zhao Lijian, who is a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said during an official briefing on Tuesday that some people should stop what he described as ‘’malicious hyping” concerning Shuai’s safety. In recent days various pictures and videos of the two-time Grand Slam champion have emerged. All of what has been leaked by the media which is overseen by the government. Shuai also recently appeared in a video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee on Sunday but the WTA still has concerns about her welfare.
“I believe you have all seen that she recently attended some public events and had a video call [with the president of the International Olympic Committee].” Lijan told reporters.
“I think some people should stop deliberately and maliciously hyping [the issue] up, let alone politicise this issue.”
Michael Joyce is a former tennis player who has coached the likes of Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Johanna Konta. According to Joyce, ‘close friends’ of Shuai haven’t been able to contact her despite trying.
The WTA has threatened to remove tournaments from China next year if they are unable to receive any guarantees concerning Shuai’s welfare. At present, they are set to hold 10 tournaments in the country next year, including their prestigious WTA Finals.
