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WORLD NEWS Thursday 2 March 2023

China dismisses FBI statement on COVID-19 lab leak theory

BEIJING (AP) — For the sec- on virus tracing and made
ond day in a row, China on important contributions
Wednesday dismissed U.S. to global virus tracing re-
suggestions that the COV- search." A World Health
ID-19 pandemic may have Organization expert group
been triggered by a virus said last year that "key
that leaked from a Chinese pieces of data" to explain
laboratory. how the pandemic began
Responding to comments were still missing. The sci-
by FBI Director Christo- entists cited avenues of re-
pher Wray, Foreign Ministry search that were needed,
spokeswoman Mao Ning including studies evaluat-
said the involvement of the ing the role of wild animals
U.S. intelligence communi- and environmental studies
ty was evidence enough of in places where the virus
the "politicization of origin People wearing face masks walk past rows of lanterns at a tour- might have first spread.
tracing." ist shopping street in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. The Associated Press has
"By rehashing the lab-leak Associated Press previously reported that
theory, the U.S. will not suc- the Chinese government
ceed in discrediting China, Wuhan." back at a report from the was strictly controlling re-
and instead, it will only hurt "Here you are talking about U.S. Department of Energy search into the origin of the
its own credibility," Mao a potential leak from a that assessed with "low pandemic that has killed
said. Chinese government-con- confidence" that the virus more than 6.8 million peo-
"We urge the U.S. to respect trolled lab," Wray said. that was first detected in ple worldwide, clamping
science and facts ... stop Referring to efforts to trace Wuhan in late 2019 leaked down on some work and
turning origin tracing into the origin of the corona- from a nearby government promoting fringe theories
something about politics virus, he added, "I will just laboratory. that it could have come
and intelligence, and stop make the observation that The report hasn't been from outside the country.
disrupting social solidarity the Chinese government, it made public and officials Some scientists are open
and origins cooperation," seems to me, has been do- in Washington stressed that to the lab-leak theory, but
she said. ing its best to try to thwart U.S. agencies are not in many scientists believe the
In an interview with Fox and obfuscate the work agreement on the origin of virus came from animals,
News that aired Tuesday, here, the work that we're the virus. mutated, and jumped to
Wray said, "The FBI has for doing, the work that our Mao on Tuesday insisted people, as has happened
quite some time now as- U.S. government and close that China has been "open with other viruses in the
sessed that the origins of foreign partners are doing. and transparent" in the past. Experts say the origin
the pandemic are most And that's unfortunate for search for the virus' origins of the pandemic may not
likely a potential lab inci- everybody." and has "shared the most be known for many years
dent in (central China's) On Tuesday, Mao pushed data and research results — if ever.q

Report criticizes Dutch protection system after 3 slayings

By MIKE CORDER leged Dutch crime gang.
Associated Press De Vries, who was shot on
THE HAGUE, Netherlands an Amsterdam street on
(AP) — A critical report July 21, 2021, and died nine
into the protection of three days later acted as a con-
murder victims, including a fidential advisor to the wit-
celebrated Dutch journal- ness. Wiersum, the witness'
ist gunned down in central lawyer, was gunned down
Amsterdam, said Wednes- on Sept. 18, 2019, outside
day that security services in his home in Amsterdam.
a "fragmented" protection The witness' brother, identi-
system didn't always act on fied only Reduan, was shot
tips about possible threats. and killed March 29, 2018.
The conclusions highlighted The witness played a key
flaws in a network involv- role in the prosecution of
ing police and prosecutors Ridouan Taghi, who is ac- Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries looks on, prior to attending
a live TV show in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday Jan. 31,
that is intended to offer cused by prosecutors of 2008.
protection to people fac- multiple murders in the Associated Press
ing threats ranging from violent Dutch criminal un-
stalkers to possible attacks derworld. Judges are ex- and the protection service Both Wiersum and De Vr-
by criminals and terrorists. pected to deliver verdicts "did not receive all the in- ies had police surveillance
The report came following later this year in the trial of formation about the threat at their homes. De Vries
an 18-month government- Taghi and several alleged that was available to the "was not willing to share his
commissioned investiga- accomplices. investigation." schedule to make it possi-
tion by the Dutch Safety The report said that "com- It added that "signals" of ble to organize surveillance
Board into the slayings of mand of the surveillance possible threats from the for his arrivals and depar-
crime reporter Peter R. de and protection of the per- victims "were not regarded tures. He also made no use
Vries, lawyer Derk Wiersum sons under threat was frag- as concrete threat informa- of the option to person-
and the brother of a key mented across national tion and therefore did not ally notify any high-risk mo-
witness in the trial of an al- and regional organisations" fit into the usual system." ments," the report said.q