Chinese arrest entrepreneur tapped to head North Korean economic zone
By TED ANTHONY, Associated Press
(Published October 3, 2002)
BEIJING (AP) - The businessman tapped by North Korea last week to head
its new special economic zone was arrested by Chinese police early Friday, a
South Korean news agency reported, a day after he promised to pay his taxes
immediately.
Yang Bin, one of China's richest men, was taken into custody at 5 a.m.
in the northeastern city of Shenyang, where his company's headquarters is
located, Yonhap said in the report from Beijing, which quoted a Chinese
government source. It said he was arrested on suspicion of tax evasion
immediately before departing for North Korea.
The purported arrest, also reported by two television stations in
Seoul, South Korea, could not immediately be independently verified.
The Presidium of North Korea's legislative Supreme People's Assembly
issued a decree Sept. 12 setting up the Sinuiju Special Administrative
Region just across the border from northeastern China, and swore in Yang
last week to head it, and he has been holding news conferences ever since.
But Yang has been plagued by financial problems. News reports this
week said he was being investigated by Chinese authorities for not paying
his taxes.
Repeated phone calls to Yang's spokesman at his Hong Kong-listed firm,
Euro-Asia Agricultural Holdings Co., went unanswered, and the spokesman's
mobile telephone was turned off. At Euro Asia's Hong Kong office, a woman
who did not give her name said she had no information about the arrest.
During a news conference held by Yang in Shenyang on Thursday, several
police vehicles sat outside, including a surveillance van, and anyone
leaving was subject to a car search. Yang said the police were posted for
his protection.
But authorities confiscated some news organizations' videotapes and
photo equipment after the news conference and checked journalists'
identification, telling them the gathering was illegal and had not received
proper government approval.
Later, Euro-Asia officials acknowledged they had not obtained the
proper permission required in China to address the media.
In the past week, Yang has sold shares of his orchid- and
vegetable-growing company twice, reducing his stake to below 50 percent.
_________________________________________________
-------------------------------------------
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
--
In the contradiction lies the hope.
--Bertholt Brecht
_______________________________________________
Leninist-International mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To change your options or unsubscribe go to:
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
