Image via WikipediaChinese authorities in charge of the Beijing Olympics have been backing down from their promise they would give foreign journalists uncensored access to the internet. In an even more surprising about-face, the IOC apologized for this censorship, reports the South China Morning Post.Websites on the regular hot issues, Tibet, Falun Gong, human rights and others, are not accessible from Beijing and according to the spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs (here according to the BBC):
"There are some problems with a lot of websites themselves that makes it not easy to view them in China," he said. "Our attitude is to ensure that foreign journalists have regular access to information in China during the Olympic Games."The move does not come as a surprise, in a country where jurisdictions between government departments are often not clear and where also the organizers of the Beijing Olympics have been overplaying their hand. In the past months there were clear indications the internet filters would indeed be loosening up, but now the relevant authorities have decided otherwise. And the BOCOG, the organizer of the Beijing Olympics is not the relevant authority.
It adds to a whole string of embarrassing decisions, including the ongoing restrictions on issuing visas and other security measures that are now making the Beijing Olympics into a no-fun event.
1 comment:
I'm sorry, didn't Athens and Sydney control the number of issuing visas?
There are a lot people in China already, so they just let everybody in, even there are not enough hotel rooms, let the rest of them sleep in the street?
Falun Gong tells people if they have cancer, don't go to hospital, just believe Falun Gong. Will you? Hope you don't have cancer!
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