China Unblocks the BBC (In English) 158
An anonymous reader writes in with news that China has unblocked the BBC Web site — the English-language version at any rate. No announcement was made, because China has never acknowledged blocking the BBC for the last decade. The Chinese-language version of the site has been blocked since its inception in 1999. The article speculates that the easing of censorship may be tied to the upcoming Olympic Games.
Re:regarding the olympics (Score:5, Insightful)
People from all over the world will be visiting and all kinds of reporters will be onsite. How many reports do you think we will see that tell us China blocks part of the internet. Telling us stuff we already told them but they refused to listen.
This will be a big black eye for China because the whole world will be faced with the details and feel the impact.
This could get interesting.
I saw one person mention tor as a work around. I think using a VPN could also work for them.
if you only read mandarin (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Expats got around it anyway (Score:4, Insightful)
Keep in mind that part of the reason the International Olympic Committee gave China the games was to create international pressure for change... and not of the TOR variety.
I find it ironic that, despite publicly stating they wanted to create pressure, now the IOC is condemning calls to boycott the Beijing Olympics, amongst other things.
Re:regarding the olympics (Score:3, Insightful)
mod parent up (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:regarding the olympics (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Expats got around it anyway (Score:2, Insightful)
The saddest part about the modern Olympics is that the host countries, whether Liberal western democracies or tyrannical monomaniacal regimes, are simply trying to push a pathetic, anachronistic, nationalistic message which has about as much to do with dignity, human rights and fraternity as a neutron bomb has to do with heating your house. Quite frankly, that any country spends a nickel sending a pack of drug-abusing ninnies off to compete against other countries' drug-abusing ninnies is the shame in and of itself. If they are going to insist on these moronic and monstrous nationalist displays, then build the goddamn thing in Elis in Greece, discard that portion of the IOC that goes around trying to get favors and bribes from host cities, instead spending the vast sum to make a premium international sports center, and be done with all this thinly-veiled political-cum-nationalistic crapola.
Re:It is open if you understand English (Score:5, Insightful)
And the BBC blocked... (Score:3, Insightful)
Yaa, it's always the slant-eyed reds who won't bow down to the US who are the censoring types who kdawson has to post "news" articles about again and again and again. Never mind that people in the US who sell PAID-FOR satellite access to Al Manar [nytimes.com] are thrown into prison to rot. Never mind that the Great Firewall of China was mostly built not in China but by the largest companies dotting the San Francisco Bay area. As Easter just ended, a quote from old JC - look not for the speck in your neighbor's eye when you have a log in your own.
Re:It's Transistor Radios All Over Again (Score:4, Insightful)
If the journo's attempt to go outside the "gated world" you foresee then they will either, a: find the real story and report it (scoop!), or b: have some "obey all orders" state authority tell them they are barred - the journo's will report that (scoop!) and China will still look bad.
This Olympics were only ever going to be a success for China if the media played along with their "lets all play happy families, look everything is nice" game - I was pleased to see the widespread reporting of the Tibet protesters interrupting the torch lighting in Greece (coincidentally I can see the 5 rings depicted as handcuffs becoming a oft repeated protest symbol for this games) - that is indicative that the media aren't going to play the brush it under the carpet game.
I partly feel sorry for the honest Chinese people who want to be proud of their country. And in truth the oppression and censorship isn't really 100 miles away from some practices in the western world (camp X ray, extraordinary rendition being two examples where the moral code of conduct has just been chucked in the fire). But at the same time the Chinese government is just far too easy a target - the appallingly hilarious cold war communist part ways that they attempt to deny the plain truth ("the sky is blue" - reply "no it isn't" end of discussion) is just far too easy to make a mockery out of.
Let the games commence.
Re:It's Transistor Radios All Over Again (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, the US has done some nasty things, but come on, to compare it in any way to the vast machinery of propaganda that PRC uses to control the Chinese people with the idiocies and sins of your average US Administration is pathetic. I didn't notice anybody getting trundled off to jail for reporting on the various abuses. The Administration makes its loud noises, but the NY Times is still there, and still critical of the government.
Governments, by their very nature, will abuse the rights of people under their control (citizens and non-citizens alike). The key here is not that any country have some sort of perfect government, but that the key checks of a free press and the freedom to voice one's opinion are sacrosanct.
Re:ironic... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And the BBC blocked... (Score:5, Insightful)
The more general issue though is that the BBC (and other outlets) engage in widespread self-censorship. Just look at the way the BBC handles the official statements of different governments. When it comes to Russia the BBC treat them with suspicion and try to second guess them and look at all the possible ulterior motives. When it comes to the US or UK, there is no such analysis and the arguments become confined within the narrow parameters laid out by those governments. So BBC discussion of Iraq becomes an analysis of how our good intentions have gone wrong, or why we messed up with the intelligence, rather than trying to look at any possible ulterior motives etc.
Re:if you only read mandarin (Score:4, Insightful)
You're incredibly naive. Do you actually believe that China is a communist state? If yes, I might have a bridge to sell you.
Seriously, the fact that someone claims they're something doesn't make it true. Would you point at North Korea and say "democracy doesn't work" because they call themselves a "democratic republic"? Of course not.
That's not to say that communism does or can work - it doesn't, and it can't. But no matter what, communism hasn't got the slightest thing to do with modern China.
Re:regarding the olympics (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:It is open if you understand English (Score:3, Insightful)
However, while you need educated people to lead, you usually need uneducated people to follow. And there are always more followers then leaders, or at least there should be!
Maybe you should go to China and learn Chinese (Score:4, Insightful)
I will suggest you to do two things: (1) get a travel visa to China, go to a large city like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and visit some English corners (if you don't know where to find one, try google [google.com]; (2) start learning written Chinese and visit the discussion forums of Chinese news website like sina.com [sina.com.cn] for sometimes, especially for discussions about corruption cases, housing prices, or even news when the stock market heads down.
(1) will show you who and how many people are fluent in English; (2) will show you if people there know about "democracy", "freedom" and "equality" and if people can criticize the government or not. don't take my words here. go try the above two things. Of course, you can also choose just to listen the mainstream opinions you have heard from CNN and Slashdot -- that's your right as well.
Re:It's Transistor Radios All Over Again (Score:2, Insightful)
You're right. It's far harsher to hold the Chinese people to account for the actions of their government. The American people, on the other hand, voted in Bush not once but twice and the country has committed some horrendous acts under his 'control'. The American people are directly accountable for at least the last 4 years following his disastrous first term.
If Bush is not impeached, and his administration jailed for fleecing the American people, a war based on lies, and the atrocities of Guantanamo bay, then America really needs to think twice about throwing stones.
Mod me down. I expect it.