The Chinese government seems to be reverting to form with some heavy-handed media management in the wake of the tragic earthquake in Sichuan province.
China had won praise from the international community over its handling of the disaster, with UN chief Ban Ki-moon praising the government's "extraordinary leadership".
No doubt China looked particularly good in comparison to Burma and its defiant refusal to let foreign aid workers into the country for weeks after the recent devastating cyclone .
But now that the immediate crisis has passed, it's business as usual in China, it seems.
Chinese police yesterday broke up a demonstration at a courthouse in Dujiangyan of around 100 parents who were protesting the deaths of their children in poorly constructed schools during the earthquake.
More than 270 students died when one nearby high school collapsed. In some neighbourhoods, schools were the only buildings to collapse and there are reports that rescuers found some school buildings had been reinforced with iron wire rather than steel bars.
Journalists were reportedly dragged away from today's protest, and held for questioning until the demonstration had been broken up.
Zao Ming, an official from the foreign affairs office of the local government, said: "This is not a good place to do interviews. In a disaster like this, there will be a lot of opinions. The government will solve their problems."
There were several Japanese reporters trying to cover the protest and one witness - who asked not to be identified - reportedly said the police had told the parents ''the Japanese are reporting bad things about you''.
However, according to the Chinese government they have been unusually open in allowing journalists to report on the earthquake and its aftermath. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang reportedly told a news conference in Beijing that the ''principle of transparency and openness remains unchanged" and local authorities were making decisions on the ground but not "trying to block any news or to make difficulties for the reporters''.
It's a shame, although perhaps not surprising, that the Chinese government is so intent on silencing its own citizens, whose only crime is grief for their dead children.
Dragging foreign journalists away from the scene does nothing to stop negative headlines abroad - as a quick search on Google News reveals. It can only add to the sense of frustration and helplessness felt by the grieving parents of Sichuan province.
