Journalist launches first defamation suit

A Beijing journalist has launched what may be the first defamation suit against a government agency in China, the South China Morning Post reported. In a series of stories he wrote for Beijing's West Times, Sheng
Xueyou, 42, said an arbitration committee in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang province had handed down similar rulings on several ownership disputes
over coal mines, noting that the ruling in each case favored the applicant. In turn, the Qitaihe Office of Law and Order accused Sheng of being biased and lacking journalistic
ethics in an online posting. "I will not allow my reputation to be
defamed over the internet," Sheng said. He has demanded an apology from
the agency and about US$25,000 (RMB200,000) in
compensation.