China: Citizen reporter Zuola carted off

Very breaking news, but Chinese citizen reporter Zhou “Zuola” Shuguang has just tweeted his own detention as it was happening on Wednesday afternoon China time.

(As of 17:15, Zuola was back at his computer; he seems to have been placed under some sort of ‘town arrest’. Updates below)

Zuola recently bought a Blackberry 8320 to help him with his citizen reporting endeavors, and he appears to have been able to use it along with Twitterberry to send out a few short messages as he was being escorted from his home into a vehicle and driven off:

15:52:
煤炭坝长沙矿业集团的保卫处刘处长带了三个人来接我回煤炭坝镇。吓坏我父母了。

@zuola: Head of security at Meitanba Mining Group Director Liu w/ 3 others taking me now back to Meitanba Village, scared my parents.

16:02
我被要求上他们的车,我要父母确认今天的事实,记住何时何地跟睡接触,坐什么车牌走了。我很好,在他们车内,感觉象是被截访。

@zuola: I've been made to get into their car. I want my parents to confirm what has happened today, what time and place and w/ who, the license plate number of the car I was taken away in. I'm fine, in their car, it feels a bit like I'm being intercepted.

16:08
上午借口来找计划生育违归的俩人同保卫处长一起来的,果然是冲我来的。

@zuola: The two people who came this morning under the pretense that I'd violated the one child policy are here with Security Dir. Liu now. Turns out they've forced me to go with them.

16:28
谢谢所有关心我的人,我还在车上。

@zuola: Thank you everyone for your attention. I'm still in the vehicle.

Earlier this morning Zuola tweeted that he wouldn't be online today as he was being visited by “government people”: two from the birth planning office (mentioned above) following up on a report that he had violated China's one-child policy (Zuola has no children) and two to see take his parents out for “tea” and a chat.

Last month Zuola mentioned on his blog feeling nervous about being in Beijing for the Olympics as he had planned, and decided it better to sit it one out and return home to Meitanba, Hunan province. Prior to that he got busted in Shenyang just following the Yilishen incident, where he had traveled to do some citizen reporting for his blog.

Updates hopefully coming soon.

Updates:

17:16
我被长沙矿业集团保卫处刘处长把我从枫木桥接回煤炭坝了。他们要求我呆在煤炭坝就不管我,我一出去他们就要把我弄回来。我声明,我不是长沙矿业集团的员工,我爸在这个单位的前身退休13年了。

@zuola: Changsha Mining Group Security Director Liu has taken me from Fengmuqiao back to Meitanba. They've demanded that I stay in Meitanba and that if I do, they'll leave me alone. If I leave, they'll bring me back. I stated that that I am not an employee of Changsha Mining Group, although my dad was until he retired from there 13 years ago.

17:20
我坐湘A94360回煤炭坝的,车上刚才四个人。

@zuola: I'm in vehicle 湖A 94369 on the way back to Meitanba, there were four people in the vehicle just now.

17:23
看来是宁乡县国保大队、长沙矿业集团、枫木桥乡政府联合行动,工作效率还蛮高。先侦知我的手机离开煤炭坝镇区域,然后让枫木桥乡政府打前哨,再通知长沙矿业集团保卫处开车来接人,把我送回煤炭坝就完事了。

@zuola: It seems they were a joint task force from the Ningxia Guobao squad, Changsha Mining Group, Fengmuqiao Village government, pretty effective work. First they checked to see that my mobile phone had left the Meitanba area, then they sent Fengmuqiao government people to stand guard, later notifying the Changsha Mining Group Security Division to drive over and pick me up, and take me back to Meitanba, and that was it.

17:25
声明一下,除了我被强行要求我坐他们的车回煤炭坝之外,我现在的人身是自由的。不过,我希望有记者来长沙陪我去北京,那样会让他们不知所措,估计会是一件很生动的故事。

@zuola: I'll just state that aside from having been forced into their vehicle to be taken back to Meitanba, my person is free now. However, I do hope that a journalist will be able to accompany me to Beijing, they won't know what to do then and I expect that it will make for a very vivid story.

17:31
我被长沙矿业集团保卫处刘处长把我从枫木桥接回煤炭坝了。他们要求我呆在煤炭坝就不管我,我一出去他们就要把我弄回来。我不是长沙矿业集团的人。

@zuola: Changsha Mining Group Security Director Liu took me from Fengmuqiao back to Meitanba. They've demanded that I stay in Meitanba and that if I do, they'll leave me alone. If I leave, they'll bring me back. I don't work for the Changsha Mining Group.

25 comments

  • […] incident was live-blogged here, where on Zuola’s return to his computer it was revealed to us (and just shortly before, […]

  • […] it won’t do you much good if you can’t read Chinese. A translation of his Tweets is on Global Voices Online. According to the article, Zuola — a childless 27 year old — was ordered to meet with […]

  • […] earthquake or a forest fire, and the service shows its true potential. The most recent example was the Twitter stream from a Chinese “citizen journalist” or blogger named Zhou “Zhuola” […]

  • Pingback:  | Technologizer

    […] In Case of Emergency, Use Twitter A Chinese citizen journalist picked up by the security patrol at the Olympics used Twitter to alert his friends and followers to his predicament. It’s the latest example of Twitter being used as a sort of emergency broadcast system, along with the stories of a Twittering American arrested in Egypt and Twittering victims of the Chinese earthquake. Sadly, my immediate response to the news was this: Does the Chinese government know about Twitter, and if not, will they block access to it the moment they learn it exists? Read more at: VentureBeat, Global Voices […]

  • IamGAGfly

    This is nothing. U should be watch iamgadfly on twitter coz hez evading the authorities of Beijing RIGHT NOW! He is in secret spot with dogs chasing him. Watch his video on YouTube he painted the Chinese hotel rooms with blood. No not real blood, fake blood. He has a big heart for China and Jesus told him to do this. It was so crazy for Jesus EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS! AWESOME DUDE!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV-U3H-6Rvw

    He will turn hinself in to Chinese police on 10 days form now. Watch his on Twitter!!

  • […] padres correrían. La noticia ha acaparado la atención internacional, no solo por la detención de Zhou ‘Zuola’ Shuguang pero por el nuevo uso de […]

  • Wei

    Roman 13:1-5

    13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, 1 and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God. 13:2 So the person who resists such authority 2 resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment 13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation, 13:4 for it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God’s servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer. 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities 3 but also because of your conscience.

    Did Jesus move this pastor to be a vandal? Is he really moved by Christ?

  • so_damn_lame

    You Gagfly,

    You better pay for all of the shit that you vandalize.

    Or else I will go to your house and piss in your orange juice.

  • chan

    Pay for the vandalized, repent and pray for forgiveness !!!

  • […] Zhou ‘Zuola’ Shuguang has used microblogging service Twitter as he was detained by officials, Global Voices Online (GVO) has reported. According to translations of his tweets by GVO, Zuola was forced to leave his parents house in a […]

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