Chinese President Urges Murder Probe

Chinese President Hu Jintao, right, shakes hands with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo during the welcoming ceremony for the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in this November 4, 2006, file photo. Hu Jintao's upcoming African tour will boost trade and highlight Beijing's aid initiatives, an official said Wednesday, brushing aside accusations that China is overlooking human rights abuses to gain access to Africa's resources. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, FILE) (Elizabeth Dalziel - AP)

BEIJING -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has ordered a swift investigation into the murder of a Chinese newspaper employee at an illegal mine in northern China, state media said Wednesday.

The rare public intervention by Hu, reported by the China News Service, came after a public outcry from reporters in China and media watchdogs abroad for better protection for Chinese journalists.

Seven people have already been detained in the beating death of Lan Chengzhang of the China Trade News, who was attacked along with a colleague when they went to interview Hou Zhenrun, the owner of the unlicensed coal mine, on Jan. 10.

China News Service reported that Politburo Standing Committee member Li Changchun and Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang also demanded "a swift and thorough investigation."

Hou is accused of organizing a group of people to assault Lan and Chang Hanwen at the small mine outside the northern city of Datong.

In addition to the seven who have been arrested, police are hunting for three others allegedly involved in the attack.

Lan and Chang were set upon by as many as 20 men, according to some media accounts, on their way to meet Hou. Chang's right arm was broken and his body was bruised, the China Trade News said in a weekend statement.

The statement said the two were hired in late December and identified them not as reporters but only as "employees."

The killing and the questions about Lan's status have highlighted the communist government's uncomfortable relationship with the media, which it tries to control.

Police have been quoted as saying that Lan sought out Hou, the mine owner, to extort money, offering not to report on his illegal mining operation in return for a bribe.