Steven Clift
Wed, 05 Oct 2005 09:04:12 -0700
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From: http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/english/2005/10/200510051345.shtml Popular online bulletin board shuttered (Oct. 05, 2005)(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 3 October 2005 CPJ press release: In China, a popular Web forum is shuttered New York, October 3, 2005 - The Committee to Protect Journalists condemnsthe shuttering of the Beijing-based Yannan bulletin board system. Radio FreeAsia reported today that the popular Web forum was closed after providingcoverage and debate on a turbulent recall campaign in a village in Guangdongprovince. (boxun.com) Yannan posted a September 30 announcement stating that it would be closeduntil further notice for "cleanup and rectification." It did not elaborate.Nine days before, the Web site removed postings on the political standoff inthe village of Taishi, as well as separate discussions of murders committedby a Ningxia migrant worker, according to international news reports. The action comes less than a week after government agencies announced newrules restricting Internet news and online content. "Yannan has provided an important and rare forum for Chinese citizens toexchange information and debate issues that are crucial to the country'sfuture," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "Coupled with theannouncement of new Internet regulations, China is sending a clear anddisturbing message that it intends to crack down on free expression on theWeb." Readership had soared as Yannan provided a forum for public debate on theefforts of Taishi villagers to recall the elected village committee head,Chen Jinsheng, whom they accused of corruption, according to ChinaInformation Center, a U.S.-based organization. The case captivatedacademics, journalists, and legal scholars who saw it as a test of thegovernment's commitment to its experiments in small- scale democracy. Therecall efforts pitted villagers against local officials and police, whoarrested dozens of protesters, many of whom are elderly, according to newsreports. The administrators of bulletin board, or BBS, forums in China areresponsible for their content. In addition, new Internet regulationsclassify bulletin boards carrying current events as news organizations andmake them subject to State Council approval and strict guidelines. New rulesalso ban any online content that could incite "illegal protests" orgatherings. Police briefly detained a journalist covering the Taishi standoff for theHong Kong-based South China Morning Post on August 31, the newspaperreported. CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works tosafeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visithttp://www.cpj.org. For further information, contact Asia Program Coordinator Abi Wright (x140)or Research Associate Kristin Jones at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], Internet: http://www.cpj.org/ The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of CPJ.In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit CPJ. (boxun.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - - - W: http://publicus.net Minneapolis - - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - MSN/Y!/AIM: netclift UK Office Hours - 1pm - 11pm - - T: 0870.340.1266 Join my Democracies Online Newswire: http://dowire.org *** Past Messages, to Subscribe: http://dowire.org *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** New RSS XML Feed Available: *** http://www.mail-archive.com/do-wire@lists.umn.edu/maillist.xml