Ordie
08-10-2009, 04:53 PM
Aug 10, 2009China's Internet a big concern
BEIJING- THE Internet in China has become a major concern for officials, who are increasingly being scrutinised by the general public, a government adviser said on Monday.
'The Internet has become the most powerful media in every government official's daily life,' said Steven Dong, an adviser to the State Council - China's Cabinet - on publicity and crisis communications.
Dong pointed to the practice of cyber-vigilantism - a rising trend in China where regular Internet users research personal information about and put pressure on individuals who are perceived to have acted badly.
'Last year, we had over 84 government officials who were (affected by cyber-vigilantism) and one third of them lost their jobs,' he said.
In one high-profile case, an official in the southern city of Shenzhen was sacked last year after videos of his misconduct in a restaurant appeared online, causing an outcry.
More recently, a wealthy 20-year-old was sentenced to three years in jail after he ran over a pedestrian during a drag race in the eastern city of Hangzhou, in a case that sparked outrage on the Internet.
According to Mr Dong, Internet users were not only up-in-arms over the incident but also began to raise questions about Hangzhou's deputy mayor over unrelated issues and said the boy who appeared at court was not the right person.
'I would say we need a law to regulate the Internet, otherwise we will soon realise that normal people can be affected,' Mr Dong said. 'This is not the right way to help democracy, to help the majority of people's interests, it will just create more turbulence in politics.'
Mr Dong, a former news presenter for China's state-run television station CCTV, was speaking to reporters about the country's media strategy.
He said the openness demonstrated in Urumqi - the capital of northwest China's restive Xinjiang region - where reporters were allowed in to report on ethnic violence that erupted last month, would continue. 'If we have further crises, I think we will stick to that kind of way,' he said in answer to a question on the Urumqi unrest. -- AFP
Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_415016.html
BEIJING- THE Internet in China has become a major concern for officials, who are increasingly being scrutinised by the general public, a government adviser said on Monday.
'The Internet has become the most powerful media in every government official's daily life,' said Steven Dong, an adviser to the State Council - China's Cabinet - on publicity and crisis communications.
Dong pointed to the practice of cyber-vigilantism - a rising trend in China where regular Internet users research personal information about and put pressure on individuals who are perceived to have acted badly.
'Last year, we had over 84 government officials who were (affected by cyber-vigilantism) and one third of them lost their jobs,' he said.
In one high-profile case, an official in the southern city of Shenzhen was sacked last year after videos of his misconduct in a restaurant appeared online, causing an outcry.
More recently, a wealthy 20-year-old was sentenced to three years in jail after he ran over a pedestrian during a drag race in the eastern city of Hangzhou, in a case that sparked outrage on the Internet.
According to Mr Dong, Internet users were not only up-in-arms over the incident but also began to raise questions about Hangzhou's deputy mayor over unrelated issues and said the boy who appeared at court was not the right person.
'I would say we need a law to regulate the Internet, otherwise we will soon realise that normal people can be affected,' Mr Dong said. 'This is not the right way to help democracy, to help the majority of people's interests, it will just create more turbulence in politics.'
Mr Dong, a former news presenter for China's state-run television station CCTV, was speaking to reporters about the country's media strategy.
He said the openness demonstrated in Urumqi - the capital of northwest China's restive Xinjiang region - where reporters were allowed in to report on ethnic violence that erupted last month, would continue. 'If we have further crises, I think we will stick to that kind of way,' he said in answer to a question on the Urumqi unrest. -- AFP
Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_415016.html