Posted on 07/29/2008 9:14:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BEIJING (AFP) - Foreign reporters will not have complete access to the Internet during the Beijing Olympics, Games organisers said Wednesday, reversing a pledge to bring down the Chinese firewall of censorship.
Sites linked to the banned Falungong spiritual movement and other unspecified ones would remain blocked for the thousands of foreign reporters covering the Games, organising committee spokesman Sun Weide told AFP.
"During the Olympic Games we will provide sufficient access to the Internet for reporters," said Sun Weide, spokesman for the organising committee.
However "sufficient" access falls short of the complete Internet freedoms for foreign reporters that China's communist authorities had promised in the run-up to the Games, which begin on August 8.
The head of the International Olympic Committee's press commission, Kevan Gosper, told AFP that he would take the matter up with Chinese authorities.
--snip--
Australian Olympic team chief John Coates, who is also an IOC member, expressed frustration with the decision to continue to censor the Internet, pointing out that China had gone back on one of its "key" Olympic promises.
"It certainly is disappointing... I think it's a matter that the IOC will take seriously," Coates told reporters at the main press centre for the Games here where sensitive Internet sites remained blocked.
Coates said that IOC president Jacques Rogge and Gosper would have "very serious discussions with the Chinese authorities" about the issue.
However he said he was not sure whether the IOC had the power or influence to convince the authorities to give foreign reporters free access to the Internet.
"What (IOC leaders) can do about it, I don't know," he said.
In an exclusive interview with AFP two weeks ago, Rogge insisted that there would be no censorship of the Internet.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
What do you expect?
They are Commies.
No need to pack your copy of the Bill of Rights when you travel to Red China.
I wish our president was not attending. It lends credibility and prestige to another repressive regime’s attempt at Berlin ‘36.
Human rights, Tibet, pollution, smog, now censorship of the internet...this is Oliver Stone’s wet dream, right?
Are you really agreeing with Jimmy Carter. That was such a bonehead move then that devastated many dreams without accomplishing anything.
The best way to win over hearts and minds for freedom is to expose the Chinese to it. When Bush is in the viewing stands, our athletes can show the Chinese how much we love our system of government.
They can wave proudly to our president - not as a political figure but as the representative of the greatest nation on earth that is not afraid to participate in the Olympics.
With your resolve of American Spirit we would still be under the rule of the British and have the cut-and-run reputation of the French.
Stand proud. Do not be afraid.
The games are self-evidently political and always have been so, and if you think they aren't being used as propaganda by the Chinese government, or weren't so used by the Soviets or the NAZIS then you're seriously mistaken.
"Isn't FR enough for you to get your political fix without having to ruin the chance of a lifetime for our athletes. Are you really agreeing with Jimmy Carter. That was such a bonehead move then that devastated many dreams without accomplishing anything."
Actually I made no mention of the athletes, and did not suggest, as you contend, that they stay home. I suggested that it was regrettable that the President would be in attendance as it lends undeserved prestige and credibility. I would not want to prevent these athletes from their hard-earned opportunity to compete, and did not suggest so.
"They can wave proudly to our president - not as a political figure but as the representative of the greatest nation on earth that is not afraid to participate in the Olympics."
I find it amusing of course that your notion of waving in "pride" at the representative of the "greatest nation on earth" would somehow not have political significance.
"With your resolve of American Spirit we would still be under the rule of the British and have the cut-and-run reputation of the French."
"American spirit" and national reputations such as that you ascribe to France are of course overtly political in nature. Nevertheless, I personally don't see the connection between wartime resolve and the President sitting in the viewing box at an Olympics staged by a communist authoritarian state who we are beholden to with regards to monetary policy and with whom we share a massive trade imbalance. On the other hand it suggests a lack of political courage and a tacit acknowledgment that China is too powerful and too dangerous to offend.
"Stand proud. Do not be afraid." That of course was my point.
It's gonna be funny to see how our leftist media likes having to use tricks to bypass the Great Firewall of China to get their stories out from their Communist utopia. They will be caught, when the Chinese read the story they were able to sneak out. Then they will be booted out of the country and never allowed to come back.
As their Protologist is trying to remove that Chinese boot from their butt, I would love to be able to ask them, "How do you like Communism now?"
China already censors some web sites (not FR, however), so this isn’t really news. I’m in Beijing right now and can’t, for example, get Engrish.com. I suspect they also censor any separatist webs sites or any aimed at launching attacks (verbal or otherwise) on the Olympics themselves.
The Chinese government is the one using a sports event to mask its fundamental inhumanity toward its people.
All mankind yearns for freedom and all deserve to have freedom in a society where leaders are freely elected to SERVE not DICTATE TO, the people.
China is choking itself to death on pollution in its race toward the impossible.
The impossible is its foolish quest for world leadership without allowing freedom to its enslaved people.
Sports does not exist in a vacuum. We don't leave our fundamental, God-given rights behind as we enter a sports stadium.
Though the chi-coms will practice censorship, and will beat down any protests with massive force. Though rights have been suspended and protesters jailed. the Main stream media will speak glowingly of their fellow socialist brothers the chi-coms
Perhaps he is there to lend deserved prestige & credibility to our athletes, and our country.
We should not hide from anything. Protesting is for losers.
Dude, what the hell do you think China has been doing since being awarded the Games but politicizing?
They can wave proudly to our president - not as a political figure but as the representative of the greatest nation
In other words, a politician. A politician who is whoring himself out by going there.
With your resolve of American Spirit we would still be under the rule of the British
That's just classic, a ChiCom sheep judging the American resolve for freedom.
The hell with the athletes, the hell with Bush, and the hell ESPECIALLY with China, me and thousands of others are going to be politicizing this and doing our best to turn this Olympics into the disaster it deserves to be. Get used to it.
If only that were possible. The only thing the Chinese are allowed by their authoritarian government to be exposed to, is government mandated communist propaganda. Indeed that is all anyone attending the Olympics will be allowed to be exposed to according to the Chinese government.
Ping. If I hear this “don’t politicize the Olympics” crap one more time, I’ll vomit.
You do not know what you are talking about.
All over China, especially in Beijing, Shanghai, and other major cities, Chinese citizens aim their satellite dishes southward to pull in stations from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. They can thus receive uncensored broadcasts from the BBC, CNN, and other “free” news sources.
If you are that sure of that position, let me take you to meet those athletes and you can say that to them directly. What a buffoonish statement. How about we just take your life's ambition and work and throw you in the toilet. Yours is the most idiotic statement I have ever read. Infuriatingly so.
Then don't enter the stadium. Are you seriously saying you agree with Jimmy Carter. I can not believe this is FR. People willing to cut and run, hide and shirk when the calling is to proclaim how great liberty is.
God may have given you the rights, but in this world it is up to you to fight to hold onto them. Afraid of a couple of billion Chinese. Geez. I don't see your white flag. Where is it. You forgot to include it in your post.
Salute your new flag.
Don't be naive. The Olympics have always been political.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.