China Does U-Turn, Lifts Ban On Websites

krou sends in a Guardian (UK) article reporting that overnight talks with the International Olympic Committee have resulted in the Chinese government lifting a ban on websites such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the BBC Chinese language service "in Beijing, Shanghai and possibly further afield." Websites with information on the Falun Gong, Chinese dissidents, the Tibetan government in exile, and the 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests are still inaccessible. (We've been discussing Chinese Olympic censorship right along.) Quoting: "A spokesman for Amnesty International said: 'It's good news that our site has been unblocked in Olympic venues and perhaps elsewhere in Beijing, but it is still a long way from the "complete media freedom" promised. It seems public outrage has succeeded where the IOC's "quiet diplomacy" had failed.' Chinese engineers quoted in an article in the Atlantic Monthly said they had been told to prepare to unblock access for a list of specific internet protocol addresses to used by foreign visitors. But Andrew Lih, a new media author in Beijing, said it seemed the authorities might have simply decided it was easier to lift blocks for everyone. 'It's possible [to block individual locations] but would be very complicated,' he said."

Comments

Re:Public outrage trumps diplomacy?

[jo42]

China's Olympic ambitions falter with protests
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080802/ap_on_re_as/china_battered_hopes

said Wu Jiaxiang, a former government researcher and now a blogger and businessman. "We care less about human rights than other countries and more about sovereignty. That's bound to create an awkward feeling among other countries."

They just don't get it, do they...

Tempest in a teapot

[mu11ing1t0ver]

I'm surprised none of the stories about this mention how easy it is to VPN out of China and thus bypass any blocks they throw up.

Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[jopsen]

I'm surprised none of the stories about this mention how easy it is to VPN out of China and thus bypass any blocks they throw up.

The problem is that ordinary citizens in China doesn't know what happen on Tiananmen Square in 1989. Do you seriously expect the average Chinese citizen to be able to get VPN out og China, and risk his/her life/career on it because the sites are illegal.

Re:Can everybody swallow the blue pill?

[Daemonax]

Not actually true. I'm currently living in southern China, and the common people know what happened... The problem is that it's a social taboo to mention it, they're scared to talk about it, and they'll get angry if a foreigner brings it up and reminds them. It's a rather sad state of affairs, but I have met some people here that are very critical of the current situation with regards to freedom of speech and are willing to talk about the problems the country has. It's a shame that the common people won't talk about it though. They say they love their country, but I don't think they know what that really means. I myself love China, I love the people, the food, the mountains, the rivers, the old buildings and lots more... But there are problems with China, and I hope they'll be fixed soon.