Social Stability - 90. page

According to an article that the Epoch Times published, since the news to eliminate term limits for Xi Jinping was announced on February 25, heated discussions have taken place on social media in China. The Chinese authorities quickly started to delete large numbers of online postings, disabled account numbers, and filtered sensitive words. According to the investigation report China Digital Times and Free Weibo published, the authorities screened and blocked sensitive words such as “I disagree,” “immigration,” “migration,” “re-election,” “term limits,” “amendment to the constitution,” and “constitutional provision.” Sina Weibo users are only left with two options on the constitutional amendment topic. They can choose either “like” or “agree,” which has most likely been set up for those from the “50 Cent Army,” which refers to the Internet commentators that the Chinese authorities hire in an attempt to manipulate public opinion to the benefit of those in authority.

Source: Epoch Times, February 26, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/2/26/n10175025.htm

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao, recently reported that Transparency International just released its 2017 report called the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Singapore obtained a score of 84 (out of 100) showing it to be number six in the global ranking and number one in Asia. New Zealand ranked the highest in the world with a score of 89, followed by Denmark with 88. In Asia, Hong Kong had the global rank of 13 (with a score of 77); Japan ranked 20th (with a score of 73); Taiwan ranked 29th (with a score of 63), and South Korea ranked 51st (with a score of 54). China had a global rank of 77 (with a score of 41). The United States ranked 16th (having moved up from last year’s 18) and Russia dropped to the rank of 135. Among the 180 countries and regions, around two thirds had scores below 50. North Korea had a score of 17. Somalia sat at the bottom with a score of nine.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, February 22, 2018
http://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/world/story20180222-837109

The Epoch Times reported that, at around 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon on February 11, a man used a knife to attack people in the “Joy City” shopping center in Xi Dan district of Beijing. He killed one woman and injured 12 other people. The suspect was arrested on the scene. He was identified as a 35 year old male from Henan Province and allegedly used the knife to attack people to vent his personal anger. Beijing raised the security alert to level 1. Starting at 9:00 p.m. on the same day, 200,000 police were seen patrolling the streets overnight, especially in populated areas such as at public transportation stops, stores open for 24 hours, and businesses open late at night. The next day, over 700,000 people wearing red armbands, a red hat and “Chaoyang resident (indicating a security force consisting of common people)” could be seen patrolling the streets throughout Beijing. People’s online comments following the official media report expressed concerns for public safety and questioned why 200,000 security forces needed to be mobilized to patrol the streets. Other than the official news report on the incident, the rest of the online postings, videos, or news were blocked.

Source: Epoch Times, February 11, 2018
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/2/11/n10135606.htm

According to an article that Xinhua published, since May 2017, the Public Security Bureau has been cracking down on the “Internet Water Army” which is a group of Internet ghostwriters who are paid to post online comments with a particular content {to “flood” the Internet}. The article stated that the Public Security Bureau has successfully solved 40 criminal cases with hundreds of millions of yuan in operation, arrested over 200 people, confiscated 5,000 online accounts and over ten thousand online websites and hundreds of thousands of online postings. The article reported that the “Internet water army” operates like an “Internet mafia.” It uses stolen personal information to send spam text or emails, gambling messages, to spread rumors in social media or to make up fake news using contents that slander others illegally or to manage online postings to make money.

{Editor’s note: The vigor of the crackdown suggests that there may be a large practice of disseminating information on the Internet that the government wants to control. The government calls all of it “faking or manipulating public opinion on the Internet.” The government is cleaning up the privately-run practices, but the CCP itself still manages the largest group, which is infamously known as the “Fifty Cent Party.” The name originated in the early days when the government paid each participant fifty cents for each posting of an article or comment that followed scripts that the CCP officially provided.}

Source: Xinhua, February 4, 2018
http://www.xinhuanet.com/legal/2018-02/04/c_1122366587.htm

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that the well-known freedom monitoring agency Freedom House just released its 2018 Freedom in the World report. Among 195 countries/regions, 88 were classified as “free nations.” However, the report indicated that the global degree of freedom has suffered a 12-year decline. With the full score of 100 points, Taiwan obtained 93 points, which is an increase of 2 points from last year. Japan scored 96 points and South Korea scored 84. According to the report, Russia got a score of 20, and Mainland China got only 14, which was even one point less than last year. The report indicated that the non-democratic nations are taking advantage of the weakened global trend to influence the international community. China even declared that it is showing the developing countries a “new road.” It appears China is seeking a true leadership role in the world. Signs are now visible that China is actively interfering with domestic politics in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

Source: LTN, January 16, 2018
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2313741

Beijing earlier conducted an extensive security risk investigation, forcing a large number of its low-end population to move out of the city. The activity caused an uproar in Chinese society and around the world because of the government-led violation of human rights. While the initial reaction is cooling down, the government is continuing to drive the so called low end population out of the capital city.

At the end of last month, in Yanjiao Town, Sanhe City of Hebei Province, which a just a river apart from Tongzhou, the satellite capital of Beijing, the Hebei authorities repeated the closing down of a large number of grassroots businesses and rental properties following the expulsion of a large number of low-end migrant workers. Vendors up to several kilometers along the main avenues and streets have been impacted. A joint law enforcement team composed of seven departments including public security, fire control, and urban management closed down and put a seal on those vendors and rental properties.

The staff of the government office in Sanhe City said it was unclear when the action would end and when the sealed houses would reopen. The local authorities hope that when the locals are ready to go to their homes for the Spring Festival, they will completely remove their work and living fundamentals in the area so they are prevented from coming back after the Spring Festival.

Source: wenxuecity (originally from hk.on.cc), January 13, 2018
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2018/01/13/6894218.html

Sina (China News Agency) reported that when Professor Pan Liyong of the Zhejiang University School of Humanities applied for social security card transfer for his mother in order to bring his mother to live with him in Hangzhou, the Cixi Medical Insurance Center asked him to prove that “your mother is (really) your mother.” He was forced to get a notarized certificate as proof from his school. The certificate of proof spread on the Internet and got widespread attention from netizens.

The circulated certificate from the Humanities and Tourism Research Center of Zhejiang University had its official seal. The certificate said,” Professor Pan Liyong is the director of the Philosophy Department at the Humanities School of Zhejiang University. Recently he brought his mother to live with him in Hangzhou. According to the requirement of the relevant departments of your organization, he needs to go through certain formalities for his mother’s social security medical cards to be transferred. This is hereby to prove that PAN Li-yong’s mother, Chen Ai-Lian, is the mother of PAN Li-yong. It is hereby also to prove that the ridiculous practice of “proving that your father is your father,” which Premier Li openly criticized, is indeed still widespread.

Professor Pan said that when he tried to apply for the social security card transfer for his mother, the staff of Cixi Medical Insurance Center insisted that he provide a certificate of relationship with his mother. He had to get the above proof against his will. He then sent a photo of this certificate to his circle of friends. After the relevant departments from Cixi City saw the photo, the United Front Department of Cixi City promptly contacted him. Then the Cixi City Health Insurance Center immediately processed his mother’s social security card transfer.

Source: Sina, December 28, 2017
http://news.sina.com.cn/s/wh/2017-12-27/doc-ifyqcwaq4969339.shtml