Saturday, August 2, 2008

UPDATE: "China Eases Internet Restrictions for Foreign Journalists" (International Herald Tribune)


"BEIJING: The Chinese authorities, bowing to criticism from Olympic officials, foreign journalists and Western political leaders, have lifted some of the restrictions that blocked Web sites at the Main Press Center for the Summer Games, although other politically sensitive sites remained inaccessible Friday."...

Access to sites the government normally blocks expanded throughout the day Friday. The first sites unblocked included those of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Radio Free Asia and the Chinese language service of the BBC.

By early evening, reporters at the press center could read about topics that have long been taboo here: Taiwanese independence, jailed Chinese dissidents and the 1989 crackdown on protestors in Tiananmen Square.

Other sites, particularly those that mention Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, remained off limits...."

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