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from South China Morning Post on Friday, April 18, 2003

An international media rights advocacy group has urged mainland authorities to lift a ban on their Web site.

The Paris-headquartered Reporters without Borders said in a press release that since last Monday, mainland Internet users have been unable to access their Web site - www.rsf.org - due to government blocking.

Calling the move a blow to freedom of expression, the group said the government action came after it posted an online petition which called for the release of Liu Di, a 22-year-old Beijing University psychology student who was arrested last November for threatening state security.

Liu allegedly posted anti-government messages on an Internet chat room. The petition said she was held in secret and has not had any contact with her family since her arrest. The petition also said there were at least 36 cyber-dissidents in mainland prisons.

The apparent blocking of the group's Web site comes as Internet use continues to soar on the mainland. According to the China Internet Network Information Centre, there were 58 million users last October, with the number growing by close to 50 per cent on the previous year.

In response to the rapid growth, mainland officials have increased their level of surveillance and censorship due to fears that the Internet will be used to rally organised political opposition.

Internet analysts said government censors use both high- and low-tech methods, such as blocking specific Web site content and physically shutting down servers.

A study done last year by Harvard University's Berkam Centre said more than 50,000 Web sites sought through popular search engines were inaccessible at least once from at least one place inside China.

A report by the US-based Rand Corporation said that commercial providers often kick "loud mouths" out of chat rooms to avoid government intervention.

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