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China: police acted inappropriately
BEIJING (AP) -- After U.S. protests, China said Wednesday that police acted inappropriately in manhandling an American photographer during a concert to promote Beijing's Olympic bid. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue denied that police beat the photographer, Stephen Shaver of the French news agency Agence France-Presse, who was covering the Three Tenors opera concert. She accused Shaver of cursing at police who stopped him for taking a photo of a man being detained. She said, however, that officers were not restrained enough in their response. "My understanding is there was pushing and pulling," Zhang said. Officers would be "appropriately handled according to relevant regulations," she said, although she did not clarify whether that meant they would be disciplined. "There will be some measures taken," she said. The U.S. government expressed outrage and protested to China after AFP said police officers beat the photographer outside the Three Tenors concert in Beijing on Saturday. Washington demanded an inquiry. The concert was meant to promote the Chinese capital's bid to play host to the 2008 Olympics. The International Olympic Committee votes July 13 on a site for the 2008 Games. Beijing's leading rivals are Toronto and Paris. Zhang said police had investigated the incident thoroughly. She said Shaver was officially accredited only to cover the concert and that he broke the law by photographing police detaining a ticket scalper outside. She said previous media reports describing the man as a protester were incorrect. Zhang described the incident as isolated and unrelated to Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympics. "We have the ability to host the Olympic Games," she said. "We are confident that we will host the best Olympic Games." AFP said the photographer was treated in a hospital for bruising on his arms and swelling on his head.
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