Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Thursday 13th August

Headlines…
- Fears of ‘Internet subversion’ seen in Mainland media
- Local government abducts farmers and tears down houses
- Taizhou government withhold land compensation

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Fears of ‘Internet subversion’ seen in Mainland media

The charge of “inciting subversion of state power” is used liberally these days by the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, as a club to strike down the threat of dissent among the masses.

The list of so-called “threats” to the CCP has grown past human rights champions, like Gao Zhisheng; or religions, like Christianity; or people, like the Tibetans and Uighurs; and even exercise and meditation practices, like Falun Gong; to include popular social networking websites, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

You might be asking yourself “is this for real”? And the answer is, “yeah, it actually is.”

Recently, state-run newspaper ‘People’s Liberation Army Daily’ published an article, which for the first time revealed the government’s fear of what the article calls, “Internet Subversion”.

Entitled, “Internet Subversion: A Security Threat Not To Be Neglected,” the article went on to be reprinted by state-run media “China News” on August 6. It described Internet subversion as a “malignant tumour” that threatened social stability and national security.

Overseas Chinese scholars and activists believe the article highlights the unstable mentality of the Regime.

Professor Jiao Guobiao, former lecturer in journalism at Beijing University had this to say:
“As a government, if freedom of press is enough to subvert it, and freedom on the Internet is enough to overturn it, this indicates that it should be subverted. Every type of new technology can bring subversion upon it, this can only mean that its authority lacks legitimacy, and what accompanies this is a very weak mentality.”

The article alleged that Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, were threats as they have been intentionally utilised as channels of political culture infiltration by Western states.

The article emphasised the need to elevate technological abilities to “strike back online attacks,” as well as “isolate, screen, and lock down,” the World Wide Web in China.

According to Branch Secretary of the Chinese Democratic Party, Shen Zhou, articles of this type not only reveal the CCP’s fear of Internet freedom, but also that repeated attempts to increase Internet surveillance and filtration have seen inadequate results.

Many people still manage to successfully break through the web censorship with software such as Free Gate and Wujie.

Shen Zhou told SOH:
“Internet discussions can truly reveal the thoughts of everyday citizens. There have been a widespread appearance of articles that criticised the CCP, disclosed darkness in the society, called out against corruption, and unveiled the corrupt conduct of local government authorities.

“So, the CCP has seen this, and know that public opinion is strong. This also means they are intending to carry out a strike out on the Internet. To be honest with you, most of these online articles have been written under aliases, and these Internet users only seek to express some of their own thoughts and dissatisfaction with the government.

“If the CCP feels that their governance could be overturned even through the Internet, I think we can see how they are doing in terms of their own governance, and there is much doubt over this matter.”

Shen Zhou also said the CCP is likely to adopt terrorist tactics toward Internet users who stand against the Regime, if they are unable to control and lock down discussion forums on the Web.

He gives the recent example of the arrest of Guo Quan, the founder of the Chinese Democratic Party. Guo Quan was prosecuted with, can you guess, “incitement to subvert state power”, because he published articles which strongly criticised the CCP, on the Internet.

The above was brought to you by Bo Ming, Yu Yin and Caden Pearson for Inside China on SOH Radio Network.
Our next two reports deal with land seizures by the Chinese regime – this first story looks at how authorities will deal with residents who refuse to leave their homes when ordered to leave. Chris thomas brings us this report:
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Local government abducts farmers and tears down houses

Monday, August 10, 2009

In Yiquan Village of Zhenjiang, of Jiangsu province, many Chinese farmers who refused government compensation for their houses and did not agree to relocate saw their houses torn down. One of them said in his petition document that the Zhenjiang Water Works Investment Company colluded with the local government, abducted those dissenting farmers, and forced them to sign a release for the dismantling of their own houses. Ms Yan, one of the farmers, talked to our reporter.

Yan was restrained and deprived of her personal freedom on June 17, 2008, when she refused to give up her house and relocate. She was taken to the police precinct and forced to sign a release document. Her house was torn down but she is yet to receive any compensation.
On the day of the abolishment she said: “The government was behind this act of tearing down my house. Several hundred people, including police and neighborhood officers organized by the government, came and did it. It was just like abduction. They abducted me, and used a red quilt of mine to blindfold me. Two strong men held my arms and covered me with the quilt, so I was completely covered, which was very horrible and terrifying. It was at midnight that they started dismantling my house. My legal residence was brutally dismantled late at night. Without any legal procedure or due process, they just did it. It was really horrible.”

It’s said that the local government destroyed the private residences not for public goods and building infrastructures, but to make money for themselves through commercial development. Many houses were destroyed just like hers, said Mrs. Yan.
She said “They used that piece of land for commercial development, and not for public use as they claimed. It was profit for themselves. In the Wenzhou district of Zhenjiang, many houses were dismantled. We farmers did not sign our name to consent to it, and many people’s houses were destroyed because we did not sign. Many were beaten, brutally beaten. We are really suffering right now, and the standard of living for peasants without farmland is really low.”

Mrs. Yan also told the reporter that, those farmers who lost their land went to appeal, but they were all persecuted. No matter how difficult it is, she said, she would persist and continue to fight for her own rights.
She said: “I went to Beijing twice to appeal, and they took revenge by punishing me every time I went back. They would hold brainwashing classes to punish me, and deprive me of my personal freedom. I was detained for 80 days for petitioning in Beijing twice, 60 days after I came back for the first time, and 20 days the second time. They restrained me, and would not allow me to go to Beijing to appeal. But I will continue to fight for my own rights, and I will continue no matter how difficult it is. I will go to Beijing to appeal, even if it costs my life.”

Dong Wensheng, the official in charge at Zhenjiang, was reached by phone for comment, but he strongly denied the existence of the forced abolition.
He said: “There was no such thing. (Reporter: I saw the report on the Internet). Oh, that’s nonsense, it is impossible.”

By Wen Fang of the SOH Radio Network.

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Taizhou government withhold land compensation

Recently, some villagers in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, claimed that during the past two years the Phoenix District Office in Taizhou City illegally occupied over 1000 Mu (165 acres) of land in Dongxie Village. The office destroyed a massive amount of residential housing while withholding land compensation that should have been given to the villagers. As a result, local villagers lost their livelihood.

According to the villagers, since 2006 without any proper formality the office forcibly occupied some 1000 Mu (165 acres) of farmland by bulldozing over crops and digging out farm roads. A villager, Chen Changzhao said (recording), “There was no national standard document or public announcement. The land compensation is 16,000 RMB Yuan per Mu (0.16 acres), which stayed with the group without being given out to the individuals.”

When the reporter phoned the vice chief of the Phoenix District Office, Sun Yihong, about withholding the villagers’ compensation, Sun denied the claim. He said, “No, there was not such a thing. All those who had their land taken could have received the money.”

Another villager, Chen Haizhang, said that Sun was lying (recording), “He was lying. He lied because he had no way out. He did not pay. He owes us 55,920,000 RMB,” he said.

Villagers said that the office confiscated the land under the pretence of developing a university town but in fact built commodity housing, such as the Shengtang Flower Garden, Shanghai Grand Garden, and the First City in Dongruen.

A Villager, Mr. Wang, said (recording), “They used the excuse of building a university town but now are building commodity housing, such as Shanghai Grand Garden. Even the First City in Dongruen is commodity housing, some of which have been sold.”

Villagers have appealed to the city and provincial government and written to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao all to no avail. More than 200 farmers had their houses torn down, land destroyed, and sources of income lost in exchange for commodity houses and profits from these are given to officials. Farmers who lost their land hope to expose the despicable acts of the local authorities and to gain support.

By Lu Fang and Lu Yan of the SOH Radio Network

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