Publications, Press Releases

Wall Street Journal: Hong Kong Squeezes the Press

2002-10-11

"There has already been a definite trend toward self-censorship in areas that are sensitive to China. These include Taiwan, Tibet, Falun Gong, mainland dissidents and the inner workings and personnel matters relating to state and party leadership. Many media organizations feel it is just not worth the trouble of carrying out their own investigations into such matters."

more ...
AFP: China's Jiang to visit United States from October 22-25

2002-10-11

"Jiang is due to hold talks with President George W. Bush on the US leader's Texas ranch during the trip, which will see them meet for the third time in 12 months."

more ...
Baltic News Service: Estonian Legal Chancellor Censors Wide Interpretation Of Public Meeting

2002-10-10

"The Estonian legal chancellor said that the detention in Estonia of four Falun Gong practitioners during the visit of the president of China in June was illegal, because the police gave too wide an interpretation to the term of public meeting."

more ...
AFP: US slams China's continued 'poor' record on religious freedom

2002-10-10

"The United States has long been vocal on the issue. During a visit to Beijing in February, President George W. Bush used a nationally-televised speech to express a "prayer" for freedom of worship for China's people."

more ...
Dow Jones International News: CHINA WATCH: Taiwan's Falun Leader Frets China Collapse

2002-10-10

"Last month, Beijing hurled more accusations against the Falun Gong. China alleged a Taiwan-based broadcast outfit was used by Falun Gong to hack into China's top television satellite systems. Taiwan officials are looking into the matter, but one said such possibilities are "farfetched.""

more ...
Taipei Times (Taiwan): Letters - The Wrong Side of History

2002-10-09

"Nobody knows when or how it will come to an end, but it most certainly will. The PRC's continued suppression of the Falun Gong and its ethnic minorities, its censorship of the Internet and its lies will eventually prove too much for Beijing to bear."

more ...
China Post: U.S. report slams PRC human rights record

2002-10-09

Government controls on the dissemination of information also remains "strict," states the report. While reporting of official corruption has been permitted as part of the government's attempt to crack down on corruption, direct criticism of the Communist Party is prohibited. Limits are imposed on topics deemed sensitive, including workers' protests, rural unrest, Taiwan independence, Falun Gong, corruption at high levels and the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

more ...
Daily Texan: Falun Gong practitioners ask President for assistance (Photo)

2002-10-09

Jane Zhizhen Dai and her 2-year-old daughter, Fadu, were left behind when her husband, Chenyong, was arrested, tortured and eventually killed. She now travels worldwide to tell her story. "I'm only one of thousands of families who suffer, and they don't have a chance to speak for themselves. I speak for them from my heart," Dai said.

more ...
Globe and Mail: China stifling dissent on Internet

2002-10-08

"BEIJING -- The illicit e-mail seemed tantalizingly close, glowing quietly in a Hotmail inbox in Beijing. But a click on it produces nothing except an ominous beep and an error message. And then the entire inbox seizes up, freezing helplessly until the computer is rebooted."

more ...
Taipei Times: MAC (Mainland Affairs Council) hopes Hong Kong can retain its freedoms

2002-10-08

"The anti-sedition legislation has sparked concern about freedom of speech since the power to interpret the law is vested in the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress...Some have said that, under such laws, China might designate Falun Gong as a national security threat. The spiritual group is still legal in Hong Kong."

more ...
Taipei Times: Time to protest HK's subversion law is now

2002-10-08

"The document further stipulates that the secretary for security has the power to outlaw Hong Kong groups affiliated with "proscribed organizations" in China that "endanger national security," or those which "organize or support the activities of proscribed organizations." This article is aimed at the Falun Gong."

more ...
Het Parool (Dutch newspaper): Falun Gong exercises take grandmother (85) to prison

2002-10-08

"Practitioners say they do not form an organisation or political movement. Neither is it a religion. It’s free and it makes you feel better. What practitioners of Falun Gong stand for are three fundamental values: truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. What can be wrong about that? asks Wang Xianghe to herself at the Dam, where a demonstration was being held last Sunday. “We want to become good people. Happier and more healthy.”"

more ...
Calgary Herald: Google in China and the real Internet censors

2002-10-07

"The interesting thing about China's recent efforts to block access to Google, the U.S. Internet search engine, is not the Beijing leadership's readiness to censor. We already knew about that. No, the interesting thing is the readiness of Web sites such as Yahoo! to censor themselves to survive in the Chinese market. That's where the lesson lies, and the true disgrace..."

more ...
Christian Science Monitor: China's Move on Hong Kong

2002-10-05

"China's slow march toward openness took a big leap backward last week. Beijing forced the leaders in Hong Kong, which China took over in 1997, to put forth tough new laws that would end up stifling political dissent and the media in that major Asian city."

more ...
Washington Post: Banned in Hong Kong

2002-10-04

'Not only has political freedom not expanded significantly in China, it is steadily shrinking in Hong Kong, despite Beijing's promise to respect the formula of "one nation, two systems." Moreover, many of those who promised to be vigilant about Hong Kong's rights at the time of the hand-over -- or to fight for their expansion -- have been apathetic about their erosion.'

more ...