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Journalists attacked at Hong Kong 'home' of Mugabe
Hong Kong (AFP) Feb 15, 2009 Two journalists were attacked as they investigated a report about Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe owning a luxury property in Hong Kong, a photographer said Sunday. Two men and a woman at the exclusive house attacked the journalists and seized a camera, Tim O'Rourke told AFP. Britain's Sunday Times reported Mugabe and his wife Grace have secretly bought the 5.8-million-US-dollar property in the city's Tai Po district, which the report said was the first in Asia to be identified as the Mugabes'. O'Rourke was attacked by Grace Mugabe and her bodyguards when he was with another photographer last month as they reported that Mugabe's daughter, Bona, was studying at the University of Hong Kong. O'Rourke said the latest attack happened on Friday as he and Colin Galloway went to the property to deliver a letter on behalf of the Sunday Times. They were questioned by a black man and woman, and when O'Rourke went to take photographs of the house, he was attacked. "She started shouting 'He has got a camera. He is taking photos.' "(She and another man) both grabbed me. They were trying to rip the camera out of my hand," O'Rourke said. Another man appeared and O'Rourke was able to pass the camera to Galloway, who was then set upon and held in a headlock, before the attackers were able to seize the camera. O'Rourke then called the police and made a formal complaint of assault. The two journalists were examined for injuries under police supervision at a city hospital. The attackers were questioned and the camera was returned, he added. A police spokesman said they were investigating the allegation of assault and no arrests had been made so far. The Sunday Times said the Mugabes have stashed away millions of dollars in Asian bank accounts. Anyone close to Mugabe faces travel bans in the European Union and America, but they are still able to travel throughout much of the region. The paper cited unnamed sources that said Grace Mugabe has splashed out more than 65,000 dollars on marble statues in Vietnam and 10,000 on a handbag in Singapore, as well as staying at some of the region's top hotels. The report said the Mugabes favourite destination was Langkawi, in Malaysia, but they have travelled across the region. Robert Mugabe's regime has been internationally condemned for its politically motivated violence targeting opposition and civil activists. Nearly half the population of Zimbabwe is dependent on food aid while a cholera epidemic has claimed more than 2,700 lives. Related Links Africa News - Resources, Health, Food
China's Hu visits Senegal, five trade pacts signed
Dakar (AFP) Feb 13, 2009China and Senegal signed five trade pacts Friday as President Hu Jintao pressed on with an African tour to boost commercial ties and deflect criticism that Beijing exploits the world's poorest continent. |
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