Beijing Olympics internet censorship.

If I hear any blind statements of rage from Chinese enraged by people being enraged about Chinese censorship, then I'll have to ask them to really think about the moral stance they are taking on this debate. After all, the fact that they are being enraged about these stories of censorship is something that they can do because of the lack of state censorship in the Western news media. If they were in China, would they even know of this major debate taking place? Likely not. Therefore, if they are so unhappy about people being unhappy with their government, they can always pretend that they were living behind their iron rice bowl; the great firewall of China.

Of course, though, they aren't. They are living in a society that will likely take them to task for the actions of a government that they nominally voted into power - and therefore (imho) have as much to blame for the situation as any American for voting in our own elections. Should they like it? Well, unless they prefer a censored press, then I should hope not. However, it is not likely that many people will be able to have a conversation with the ruling party in China. Therefore, people are likely to take their frustrations out on unwitting (or not so unwitting) Chinese living abroad (who for no major fault of their own found themselves growing up in a censored society, but now must face a false dichotomy of arguing for or against their country on a subject they might fully support their country; something few people can truly feel comfortable about doing without feeling like they are betraying someone).

Should they be mad that people are angry with the Chinese government for effectively renegeing on a promise when they were awarded the Olympics? No. They have no rational right to be so, only a sense stemming from nationalism and patriotism. (Which, when tied to how history is taught, can be a scary and sad thing.)

Well, I'll let the PhysOrg stories tell more:

From PhysOrg (7/31/2008):

A defiant China stood firm on controversies swirling around the Olympics on Thursday, hitting back at the United States over human rights criticism and insisting Internet censorship would remain.

China's communist rulers responded sternly to critics following a storm of bad publicity this week surrounding their decision to renege on a pledge of allowing unfettered Internet access to foreign reporters covering the Games.

The decision highlighted long-standing concerns over the Chinese government's attitude towards human rights, and led the White House to intervene by saying China had "nothing to fear" from the Internet.

The Chinese foreign ministry reacted by criticising a meeting US President George W. Bush had with leading Chinese dissidents and describing some US lawmakers who spoke out on China's human rights record as "odious".

"China asks the US to abide by the basic norms of international relations, stop interfering in the internal affairs of China by means of making use of so-called religious and human rights," ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

Liu also hit out at a resolution by the US Congress that urged Beijing to improve on human rights and stop repression of ethnic minorities.

Liu said the resolution passed Wednesday was an attempt to politicise the Olympics and urged Washington to curb the "odious conduct" of anti-Chinese legislators.

Meanwhile, Olympic organisers said they would not back down on Internet censorship, saying banned sites were in breach of Chinese laws.

"A small number of Internet sites are blocked, mainly because they violate Chinese law," Beijing Olympic organising committee spokesman Sun Weide said when asked whether curbs for the foreign press would be lifted.

"We hope that foreign media will respect Chinese law in this matter."

Sun identified sites linked to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is outlawed in China, as ones that would remain censored for the foreign press at Olympic venues.

He and Liu refused to identify any others but reporters trying to surf the Internet at the main press centre for the Games have found a wide array of sites deemed sensitive by China's rulers to be out-of-bounds.

Sites that are blocked include those for human rights group Amnesty International, the Tibet government-in-exile, press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders and various Chinese dissident organisations.

Another irritant for Olympic organisers was the airing by a South Korean TV station of rehearsals for the top-secret Games opening ceremony.

"I think it is disappointing that someone comes in there and literally steals one of the most exciting moments of the Games," said Kevan Gosper, an IOC executive board member from Australia.

"This is a great surprise and I have not heard of this happening before."

The Beijing Olympic organising committee said that the filming was unauthorised and that it had launched an investigation.

"We are disappointed and frustrated with the broadcast by SBS," Beijing organising committee spokesman Sun said.

And after two days of marked improvement in the air, the Chinese capital was once again blighted by a thick haze Thursday, suggesting draconian measures to curb car use had not been enough.

The environment ministry on Thursday unveiled a string of potential last-ditch measures that would be enacted if air pollution reached unacceptable standards.

One million of the city's 3.3 million cars have already been taken off the roads, and more than 100 heavily polluting factories and building sites closed down.

But the ministry said around 460,000 more cars would be taken off the roads and another 222 factories temporarily shut down, if necessary.

Measures restricting traffic could also be extended to the nearby city of Tianjin and major cities in neighbouring Hebei province, the ministry said.

From PhysOrg (7/30/2008):

The Beijing Olympics were plunged into another controversy on Wednesday as China announced a backflip on Internet freedoms for the thousands of foreign reporters covering the Games.
China's decision to reverse a pledge on allowing unfettered web access proved an embarrassment for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had repeatedly said foreign press would not face any Internet curbs in Beijing.

It was also the latest in a long line of issues to have tarnished the run-up to the Olympics, which start on August 8, following controversies over pollution, human rights and terrorism threats.

Beijing Olympic organising committee spokesman Sun Weide triggered the latest public relations flare-up when he confirmed foreign reporters would not have access to some sites deemed sensitive by China's communist rulers.

"During the Olympic Games we will provide sufficient access to the Internet for reporters," Sun said.

However "sufficient access" falls short of the complete Internet freedoms for foreign reporters that China had promised in the run-up to the Games.

Sun specified sites linked to the Falungong spiritual movement, which is outlawed in China, as ones that would remain censored for the foreign press at Olympic venues.

He did not identify any others but reporters trying to surf the Internet at the main press centre for the Games on Wednesday found a wide array of sites deemed sensitive by China's rulers to be out-of-bounds.

These included sites belonging to Tibet 's government-in-exile and Amnesty International, as well as those that had information on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in which the military used deadly force to crush democracy protests.

The head of the IOC's press commission, Kevan Gosper, told AFP early on Wednesday that he would take the matter up with Chinese officials.

"I will speak with the Chinese authorities to advise them of the restraints and to see what their reaction is," he said.

Australian Olympic team chief John Coates, who is also an IOC member, expressed frustration with China's Internet about-face, pointing out that the Chinese authorities had gone back on one of their "key" Olympic promises.

"It certainly is disappointing... I think it's a matter that the IOC will take seriously," Coates told reporters.

In an exclusive interview with AFP two weeks ago, IOC president Jacques Rogge insisted there would be no censorship of the Internet.

"For the first time, foreign media will be able to report freely and publish their work freely in China," he said.

"There will be no censorship on the Internet."

The South China Morning Post newspaper quoted Gosper as saying later Wednesday that the IOC knew that some sites would be blocked, and apologised that the foreign press had been misled.

"(Recently) I have also been advised that some of the IOC officials had negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked," the Hong Kong-based newspaper quoted Gosper as saying in an exclusive interview.

"If you have been misled by what I have told you about there being free Internet access during the Games, then I apologise."

Gosper said he was disappointed by the developments, according to the South China Morning Post.

"But I can't tell the Chinese what to do."

Reporters Without Borders, the Paris-based press freedom group, said it was surprised the IOC had kowtowed so easily to China's leadership over web access.

"When China applied to host the Games they promised total press freedom and that must include Internet access," said Vincent Brossel, the group's Asia Director.

"What a total humiliation this is for the (IOC President) Jacques Rogge. How can the IOC be so weak and feeble?"