ALL TYPEPAD SITES ARE NOW BANNED IN CHINA
The more I think about what happened today. The more angry and shocked I am. This of course is not the first time I have been banned in China. The first time for it to happen was in 1998, and very publicly in the guise of china.com.
(The Quietness of News in China: Internet Censorship At Work)
Today in what I believe will be even less reported an incident. All typepad and blog.com sites are banned in China. That’s it. For a time being, might be forever, all of us who write our thoughts, do our art, log our feelings on this server will be banned in China, and those in that country unless who have a system of proxy servers will not be allowed to hear these voices. Not mine, not others.
That’s it. Those who participate on typepad are silenced.
What makes me so frustrated at this moment is that our government does not have to answer to this, they do not have to give explanations, and those of us who do not agree, can shout all we want and there is no need for them to ever pay any attention. We can’t vote them out and those who show dissent within the country is threatened with jail time, without a fair trial, and probably losing their jobs for life.
(I do want to add that I am in Hong Kong at this moment and therefore although we are part of China, we are the special administrative region of the country and therefore my free speech and my safety is still guaranteed by the basic law of this land, although thank you to everyone who has written to me in concern. )
That’s it. It’s done. And I am ANGRY. And there is nothing I can do about this, except turn my site black and write about it to the outside. Leave a note on those whose blogs I read, and people I have a passing conversation with. Write an article for indy media when I feel more settled, keep leaving notes and urging others to do the same. Talk to a journalist or two that I know, see if they are interested in the story. I get to touch about thousand people in this vast world, this way, most will put a passing thought to this curbing of free speech and move on with their lives. That’s all I can do. Put it into the passing thought file of those I can reach. So I shall. Passing thought is better than nothing. Not knowing this just happened.
Glutter doesn’t have a lot of weight in this world, but it manages once in a while to touch a few people. Can I implore you to put a note on your blog? Can I implore you to care just a little bit more over the lack of free speech in my country for 1 billion of our human kind? I don’t know if I can. But I can ask.
Glutter Protests the Curbing of Free Speech in China Today.
I didn't even have to read down to the bottom of your post, before I was already about to ask you for permission to bring this on!
So do you have any idea how this is gonna affect you? I never tried, being even close to be doing something, that the higher authorities wouldn't like. So I feel like yelling Good Luck, with eyes bursting of tears in the Japanese anime style... seriously.
Posted by: Isaack | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 06:41 AM
I'm with you - vive la revolution! (hope I wrote that right).
Seriously though, I don't have any of the journalistic hook-ups you have - but I'm more than willing to do my part to spread this around
Posted by: pketh | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 08:43 AM
I'm trying to spread the words to all bloggers in Denmark and right now a lot of weblogs are turning black or posting your message on their pages.
I have also notified a list of web journalists so that this situation can be brought to the attention of our politicians and the public in general.
Keep up the spirit - we're with you ;-)
Posted by: Keld | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 09:52 AM
Yan, I'm trackbacking your post right now. I'm sorry to hear about this... Please stay in touch.
Posted by: Rose | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 11:57 AM
I posted it on queercode instead; 'thought I was posting it on QueerlyCreative...
Posted by: Rose | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 12:16 PM
This really sucks, I wish I had something more intelligent to say, or a way to help but I don't, it just sucks. Hopefully pressure gets put on the authorities some how, restricting free speech is not the way to go.
Posted by: Mike | Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 03:56 PM
I'm rooting for you. Go Yan!
My banner's black.
Posted by: Stephanie | Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 09:12 AM
Thanks.. As I said elsewhere. It's really just symbolic that some of us care. China does what China does. I am not being overtly cynical. It's just the truth. But I am still hyper touched so many people bothered..
Yan
Posted by: Glutterbug | Monday, March 29, 2004 at 11:15 AM
It was a nice time when I saw the site and i became very happy because it's my one of the best topics. Thanks for your shear.
http://www.taskcanon.com
Posted by: online task list | Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 04:35 AM