Great Firewall of China Descends on Tiananmen Square
As the rest of the world prepares to observe the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, the Chinese government is taking its usual steps to prevent citizens from talking about it. According to various reports, TV broadcasts have gone black when the issue is brought up and articles have been censored and pages ripped out of foreign- and Hong Kong-based newspapers.
In addition, draconian restrictions on internet traffic have been put in place, including keyword-based censoring and active monitoring. The censors have also blocked websites such as Twitter, Flickr (in case the illegal photo gets shared), various search engines and webmail services.
Not surprisingly, it doesn’t appear that any observances will be permitted in Beijing, and foreign journalists have been banned from the square. The only place in China where mention of the event is permitted is Hong Kong, where commemorations are planned.
You know, it is truly disgusting that in this enlightened age we still witness the kind of injustice and corruption which plagues countries like Myanmar (Burma) and Zimbabwe… but worst of all, is the totalitarian rule of China. 20 years ago today, rather than open discussions and peacefully debate the possibilities of free elections, or a change to a multi-party system rather than the single one party rule; the Chinese government ordered the murder of thousands of its own people. Whilst this was bad enough, compounding their crimes was the complete disregard for the atrocity and their firm resolve to cover up any evidence of the crime within the country. Since that day no newspaper, media outlet or internet search within China is able to freely discuss the tragedy and the truth of what happened… the state has a blackout on media coverage and censors all information in regard to the event. Search for “Tiananmen Square” elsewhere in the world and you’ll find information about the atrocity…. But search for that phrase in China, and you’ll find travel brochures and information! It sickens me that the Chinese Government cares more for its own self-preservation, than it does for the well-being or rights of its own people. It would much prefer to just quietly pass the date by, ignoring any suggestion of the incident, whilst the families mourn their murdered relatives. I do know one thing though, which comforts me greatly. In 10, 25, 50 years from now… all of the government officials complicit in this conspiracy will all have died, and their only legacy in the outer world will be the crimes they committed. Peoples outside of China will remember the government as a corrupt group of murderers, more worried about their own festering hides than their own people. Conversely… the brainwashing of the Chinese people by the state will only result in yet another generation ready to take the reins and do it all again. Without acknowledging the past and their mistakes, what is to stop history repeating itself?
While there have been numerous sites blocked in the past few days, search engines have been playing ball with the Chinese government for years. Google.cn is still going strong, because there’s no “subversive” results to be found there. For more see:
seoskeptic.com