IOC Tells Beijing: Don't Block Internet
IOC Wants Beijing Not to Block Intenet Access During Olympics
By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports WriterBEIJING Apr 1, 2008 (AP)
The Internet must be open during the Beijing Olympics. That was the message a top-ranking International Olympic Committee official delivered Tuesday to Beijing organizers during the first of three days of meetings — the last official sessions between IOC inspectors and the Chinese hosts before the games begin in just over four months.
Beijing routinely blocks Chinese access to some foreign news Web sites and blogs, a practice it has stepped up since rioting broke out over two weeks ago in Tibet.
Kevan Gosper, vice chairman of the IOC coordinating commission, said restricting access to the Internet during the games "would reflect very poorly" on the host nation.
"This morning we discussed and insisted again," Gosper said. "Our concern is that the press (should be) able to operate as it has at previous games."
Gosper said the Chinese had an obligation under the "host city agreement" to provide Internet access to the 30,000 accredited and non-accredited journalists expected to attend.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
"There was some criticism that the Internet closed down during events relating to Tibet in previous weeks," Gosper said.
Laws that lifted most restrictions on foreign media went into effect Jan. 1, 2007. The rules are due to expire in October.
"I'm satisfied that the Chinese understand the need for this and they will do it," Gosper added.
When asked about Gosper's comments, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China's "management" of the Internet followed the "general practice of the international community."
She acknowledged that China bans some Internet content, and said other countries did the same. She declined to say if the Internet would be unrestricted for journalists during the Olympics.
Gosper spoke after Hein Verbruggen, chairman of the inspection committee, addressed his Chinese hosts. Without being specific, Verbruggen noted that China's Aug. 8-24 games had become embroiled in controversy.
The unrest in Tibet — and China's response — has heightened calls for a boycott or a partial boycott of the games. This comes in the wake of worries over Beijing's polluted air, and calls for China to increase pressure on Sudan to end fighting in Darfur.
Lydia's commentary:
With the Olympics kicking in this August, the directors of this augural event is steeping in to ensure that China does not impose its censorship on the Internet. For many years, the government has prevented taboo topics such as Tiananemn Square Incident in 1989 from being searched on the net. Search engine giant Yahoo! has received warnings from the government to block the engine results generated otherwise it would ban the website entirely. Yet, the citizens have worked around this system and found a loophole in which they post on their blogs and online journals for discussions. With the increasing popular Internet as the latest media, it has become a platform for netizens to discuss issues they were formerly restricted from in the past. By pressing its authority on the state, the IOC of the Olympics 2008 ensures that the blockades on the internet would be removed to ensure that freedom of speech is allowed.
1 comments | comment?
