Canadian lawyer seeks media ban

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The lawyer for a young Asian man who boarded an Air Canada flight disguised as an elderly Caucasian wants to ban the media from his client's detention review.

Attorney Dan McLeod told a British Columbia courtroom if the immigration adjudicator refuses his request for either a full media ban or a ban on the Chinese media, steps must be taken to protect the man's identity, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.

The defendant, whose name has not been released, made a claim for refugee status in Canada when he was taken into custody in Vancouver Oct. 29 after a flight from Hong Kong.

Border agents found a head and neck mask, a cap and brown cardigan in the man's luggage.

Reporters for all three Chinese-language media outlets oppose a ban and have denied McLeod's charge that they are controlled by China's government.

The adjudicator said she would release her decision concerning media access on Wednesday, the same day the Asian man's detention review hearing continues.