Journalists’ Association slams authorities over Lai’s death

The Macau Journalists Association yesterday criticized the authorities for their handling of information regarding the death of the Customs chief, Lai Man Wa. In a press release, the group said that the news was not released to the media immediately after the discovery of the body, which may have resulted in increased public speculation about the incident. The police usually release media information about accidents, injuries and murders shortly after they are discovered through texts. However, when it came to Lai’s death, the authorities cited the “special identity of the deceased” to support their announcement, which was made by the Chief Executive hours after the incident. The association questioned whether that would become a reason used by police in other similar cases, or even for the arbitrary filtration of information over sensitive issues. The Secretariat for Security responded subsequently in a press release, stating that the authorities would improve their cooperation with the media over the issue.