Ten years ago, on July 20, 1999, the State’s Ministry of Civil Affairs declared Falun Gong and the Falun Dafa Research Society to be illegal, thus starting the persecution that has continued unabated to the present time. In spite of the State’s high-pressure tactics, a growing number of rights lawyers in China have stepped forward to provide a not-guilty defense in court.
What is Green Dam Damming?
Recent news reports revealed that the Chinese government has mandated that every PC sold in China must include a censorship program called Green Dam beginning July 1. Several computer experts from the Computer Science and Engineering Division at The University of Michigan conducted an investigation of the software and published their research Analysis of the Green Dam Censorware System on the Internet (http://www.cse.umich.edu/~jhalderm/pub/gd/).
University Admissions Policy Discriminates Against Falun Gong and Political Nonconformists
Regulations on Political Qualifications Applicable to Military Academies Enrolling Regular High School Graduates and on the Military Recruiting of Regular College Graduates [1]
(The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security and the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army)
Joint Notice No. 1 [2001] May 31, 2001
To strengthen ideological and political construction among the officers of the armed forces and based on the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Officers in Active Service, Military Service Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws and regulations, now therefore the regulations on regulations on political qualifications applicable to military academies enrolling regular high school graduates and on the military recruiting of regular college graduates are prescribed as follows:
Love the Chinese Communist Party; love the socialist motherland; love the people; love the people’s army; support the Party’s line, principles and policies; comply with the Constitution and the laws; have a clean history, be politically reliable, upright, politically correct, and of good moral character; serve the people wholeheartedly; willing to be fully dedicated to national defense with the determination to defend the motherland and people to work in peace. No one shall be enrolled and accepted if found to fall into any of the following categories:
1. Those who are dissatisfied, in word or deed, with the Chinese Communist Party and the socialist system.
2. Those who have leaked the Party, State and military’s secrets; maintain close ties with immediate family members who fled abroad or joined in espionage and reactionary organizations in foreign countries, thus being politically suspicious.
3. Those who have organized or participated, inside and outside China, in organizations that endanger national security as well as triads (identified by local public security departments); have organized or supported unlawful assemblies, marches, demonstrations, sit-ins, hunger strikes, students’ strikes and other activities.
4. Those who have a prior history of imprisonment, criminal detention, control or being deprived of political rights; a prior history of re-education through labor in accordance with the law, or administrative detention; have been subject to criminal investigation, prosecution, or trials that have not closed, and crime suspects under investigation and surveillance; have been parties to litigation of civil and economic disputes yet to be resolved.
5. Those who have participated in "Falun Gong" or qigong organizations that the public security departments have identified as harmful to society; have immediate family members or other close relatives who practice Falun Gong or qigong organizations harmful to society and are core members or refuse to change and continue to adhere to the wrong position.
6. Those who have engaged in indecency, theft, robbery, fraud, gambling, smuggling, prostitution, drug addiction, production and distribution of pornographic materials and other illegal activities.
7. Those who believe in religions or have participated in the activities of religious organizations.
8. Those who have bad moral character, poor discipline and have been reprimanded for serious mistakes.
9. Those who wear tattoo designs, words, or points not due to ethnic customs and bear symbols of problematic political issues and criminal gangs.
10. Those who cannot correctly accept that their immediate family members, close relatives or other directly fostered persons were sentenced or disciplined.
11. Those whose background cannot be easily investigated due to various reasons.
It is a joint task of the military and local authorities to do well in investigating political qualifications when military academies enroll regular high school graduates and the armed forces recruit regular college graduates. We must strengthen the leadership. The military cognizant departments shall carry out well-organized implementation. Local departments of education and public security should actively assist, cooperate closely within their duties, and check carefully to ensure the political quality of the enrollees and those accepted.
Public Announcement of Hainan on Admission Interviews for Military Academies, Public Security Schools, Schools of Riot Police and Judicial and Law Schools [2]
June 29, 2008, Examinations Bureau of Hainan Province
……
The interviewing institutions shall provide candidates who passed interviews with the “Form of Interviews, Physical Tests and Political Qualification of Public Security Higher Educational Institutions.” The candidates shall bring the forms to their high schools (graduates of priors years should go to their village or streets committee offices), local police station and city/county public security bureau for political background approval. Candidates shall submit the completed form to the education section under the personnel division of the Political Department, the Provincial Public Security Bureau.
The political qualification process covers political behavior, obeying the law and the public morality of the candidates, their immediate family members and major social associations.
Candidates shall be politically disqualified if they committed one of the following:
Have received a criminal sentence, re-education through labor, juvenile disciplinary administration or punishment for disorderly social behavior in the past five years.
Are currently under criminal investigation and surveillance.
Have records of expulsion from school, the Communist Youth League, the Communist Party or have been written up in personnel files or more in the past three years.
Have practiced Falun Gong or other illegal organizations or groups of organized crimes.
Have a history of drug addiction.
Have immediate family members or close relatives that have received the death sentence or were sentenced for endangering State security or are serving terms for other crimes.
Have immediate family members or close relatives that are suspects currently under criminal investigation by the authorities or hard core members of Falun Gong and other illegal organizations who refuse to change their wrong positions; and other situations that are not appropriate for enrollment.
2009 Enrollment Charter for National Defense Students
Dalian Science and Industry University [3]
……
3. Admission criteria
(1) Support the party’s line, loyal to the motherland, love the military, willing to be dedicated to national defense, have not participated in any illegal social groups and organizations, have no connection with Falun Gong, meet the standards in the Regulations on Political Qualifications Applicable to Military Academies Enrolling Regular High School Graduates and Military Recruiting Regular College Graduates (Joint Notice No. 1 [2001]).
Lanzhou University: If You Want To Become a Military Officer [4]
……
4. What are the admission criteria for candidates?
(1) Meet the standards in the Regulations on Political Qualifications Applicable to Military Academies Enrolling Regular High School Graduates and Military Recruiting Regular College Graduates, willing to be dedicated to national defense and will accept assigned posts upon graduation. The candidate, the guardian and the immediate family members have not participated in any illegal social organizations, particularly Falun Gong.
2009 Beijing Regulations on Admissions at Regular Higher Educational Institutions [5]
……
4. Anyone who falls into one of the following categories shall not be accepted:
a. Have opposed the basic principles of the Constitution or participated in cults [Editor’s Note: as the government has been extensively referring to Falun Gong as a “cult,” in the official’s language in China, “cult” has become synonymous with Falun Gong].
b. Have violated social order regulations, and been disciplined as a result, where the violations were of a serious and egregious nature.
…
2009 Heilongjiang Regulations on Admissions at Regular Higher Educational Institutions [6]
……
9. Anyone that falls into one of the following categories shall fail in the political and moral qualifications.
a. Have opposed the basic principles of the Constitution or participated in cults.
b. Have violated social order regulations, and been disciplined as a result, where the violations were of a serious and egregious nature.
……
Endnotes:
[1] University of Science and Technology of China
http://hbjg.ustc.edu.cn/index.php?Aid=323
[2] Examinations Bureau of Hainan Province
http://ea.hainan.gov.cn/phtml/2008/06/30/1529.html
[3] Dalian University of Technology
http://recruit.dlut.edu.cn/Display.aspx?NewsID=259
[4] Lanzhou University
http://xpb.lzu.edu.cn/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=550
[5] Beijing Education Examination Authority
http://www.bjeea.cn/218425681439096832/20090402/37700.shtml
[6] Xinhua, May 20, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2009-05/20/content_11404791.htm
About Green Dam
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Notice to Pre-install Internet Filtering Software on All Computers [1]
MIIT Soft [2009] No. 226
All Relevant units:
In order to build a green, healthy and harmonious Internet environment, to avoid youth being impacted by hazardous information from the Internet, according to provisions in the Government Procurement Law, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Central Civilization Office and the Ministry of Finance hereby jointly announce that the Central government will provide free usage of the Internet filtering software Green Dam Youth Escort (“Green Dam Youth Escort software”) for the nation. The central Treasury has funded the purchase of a one year right to use this software and its related services. Comprehensive tests and pilot applications have proven that such software can effectively filter unhealthy text and image content on the Internet; it is ready for pre-installation by computer manufacturers.
In order to further consolidate the achievement of rectifying against the low and degrading trends on the Internet, to protect the healthy growth of minors via both punishment and prevention, to promote sound and orderly development of the Internet, and to follow the national strategy of protecting against the low and degrading trends on the Internet, the following are the specific requirements for pre-installation of Green Internet filtering software on all computers.
1. All computers produced and sold inside China must pre-install the latest version of Green Dam Youth Escort software before they leave the manufacturer; all imported computers sold in China should pre-install the latest version of Green Dam Youth Escort software before they are sold.
2. Green Dam Youth Escort software must be pre-installed on the computer’s hard drive or the CD that comes with the computer, and also as back up files in the hard drive restoration system and recovery CD.
3. The provider of Green Dam Youth Escort software should take active measures to support computer manufacturers during the pre-installation.
4. All computer manufacturing and sales enterprises should complete all the related testing for Green Dam Youth Escort software pre-installation by the end of June 2009. All computers sold after July 1, 2009 should pre-install the Green Dam Youth Escort software.
5. All computer manufacturers and the Green Dam Youth Escort software provider should submit the sales volume of computers and the filtering software, along with any suggestions, each month to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The total annual sales of pre-installed filtering software for the previous year must be submitted before the end of February 2010.
For the computer manufacturers that do not pre-install the required software in time, do not report sales volume in time, submit false reports and/or refuse to report, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will order them to report and/or make required corrections within a limited time.
The Notice to Install Internet Filtering Software for All Primary and Secondary School Campus Networks, Jointly Issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and the Information Technology, and State Council Information Office [2]
The Education Foundation’s Second Letter [2009] No. 3
All provincial, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government Education Bureau (Board of Education), the Department of Finance (Bureau), the Information Office (Internet Management Office, Internet Publicity Office), all separately planned municipalities’ Department of Education, Financial Bureau, Information Office (Internet Management Office, Internet Publicity Office), the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp’s Bureau of Education, Finance Bureau, Information Office (Internet Management Office, Internet Publicity Office):
In order to better implement the scientific development concept, to comprehensively promote the quality of education in primary and secondary schools, to create a healthy and positive learning environment on the Internet for primary and secondary school students, and to purify the campus Internet environment, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Council Information Office (hereinafter referred to as the four departments) decided to provide free Internet filtering software for all primary and secondary school computers. The details of the notice are as follows:
First, the tasks and requirements:
1. All local educational administrative departments and primary and secondary schools must fully recognize the adverse impact of hazard information on the Internet to students, pay great attention to prevent and control adverse information on the campus network, and take effective measures to ensure a safe and healthy campus Internet environment in primary and secondary schools.
2. In order to prevent hazardous information from entering the campus network, the central government financed the purchase of Green Dam Youth Escort software for the free usage by primary and secondary schools to filter adverse information on the Internet. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is responsible for the download and user services of the Green Dam Youth Escort software.
3. All local educational administrative departments should conscientiously implement the installation of the Internet filtering software, strengthen guidance and management, and designate responsible persons for this work, to ensure that all campus computers connected to the Internet install the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software before the end of May 2009.
Second, installation and maintenance:
1. Each school should download and install the Green Dam Youth Escort Internet filtering software through the Internet. See the attached file for download and installation instructions.
2. The Internet filtering Team under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will send upgrade notices through the Internet for the Green Dam Youth Escort software; each school should update the campus computers to ensure the effective operation of the software.
3. Each primary and secondary school should include the maintenance of Green Dam Youth Escort software as part of its daily management. This work should have a high priority and a responsible person must be designated.
Third, inspection and guidance:
Local educational administration departments should periodically and randomly inspect the work of filtering hazardous Internet information on the campus network. After the installation of Green Dam Youth Escort software, the four departments will form a special inspection team to inspect the installation and operation of the software by each primary and secondary school.
Appendix: Green Dam Youth Escort software download and installation instructions
The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Council Information Office
April 1, 2009
Nanfang Metropolitan Daily, "Screen Shots Every Three Minutes: All New Computers Will Pre-install Internet Filtering Software Starting Next Month" [3]
Large-scale Pre-installation Is Being Carried Out
According to information disclosed on the Lvhang web page, some personal computer manufacturers have begun the pre-installation. On May 18, the web page announced that “PC manufacturers Green Dam pre-installation training is fully implemented.”
……
Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information technology indicate that by the end of March this year, there were about 95 websites in China offering free download of the Green Dam Youth Escort software. The software was downloaded about 3,266,800 times; about 2,279 schools installed the software on about 518,300 campus computers; about 6,957 websites installed the software; a total of 1,163,500 computers completed the installation.
According to media reports, including the countryside home appliance market, the total installation of Green Dam software is as much as about 52.7 million units.
■ Background
All primary and secondary schools installed the Green Dam software
Prior to requiring that all computers pre-install the Green Dam software, the Ministry of Education required that all primary and secondary schools nationwide install the software on campus computers connected to the Internet.
Prior to this, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Council Information Office jointly studied the campus promotion strategy for Internet filtering software programs. On April 1 of this year, it issued The Notice to Install Internet Filtering Software for All Primary and Secondary School Campus Networks. The Notice states, “to create a healthy and positive learning environment on the Internet for primary and secondary school students,” all local education administration departments should conscientiously implement the installation of the Internet filtering software, “to ensure that all campus computers connected to Internet install the Green Dam Youth Escort filtering software before the end of May 2009.”
The notice requires primary and secondary schools to include the maintenance of Green Dam Youth Escort software as part of daily management, and to designate a specific responsible person. It also requires local education administration departments randomly to inspect the work of filtering hazardous Internet information on the campus network. In the meantime, the four departments will form a special inspection team to inspect the installation and operation of the software by each primary and secondary school.
Earlier, the software was tested in some primary and secondary schools in Guizhou, Henan and some other provinces and cities. Relevant authorities concluded that the software was effective.
All Computers in the Countryside Home Appliances Program Pre-installed the Green Dam Software
The Green Dam software has been servicing many computers that farmers received in the countryside home appliances programs. It is reported that “all computers sent to the countryside were installed with corresponding information filtering and protection software when conditions permitted. The most popular filtering software installed is called the Green Dam Youth Escort software.”
It is reported that this was mainly to help the “farmers who had limited experience with computers” to avoid computer viruses problems and thus to reduce the burden of after-sales services. “At this moment the importance of information filtering is highlighted.”
News reports in March disclosed all Lenovo computers sent to the countryside were pre-installed with the Green Dam software. Later computers sent by Founder, the Great Wall, the Wave, Tsinghua Tongfang, and Haier will also be installed with the Green Dam software.
Endnotes:
[1] The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, http://www.miit.gov.cn/n11293472/n11293832/n11293952/12398220.html
[2] The Hubei Province Education Information website,
http://xxdt.e21.cn/e21web/content.php?id=469
[3] Nanfang Metropolitan Daily, June 9, 2009, http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/nfjx/200906090005.asp
Science & Technology Daily: One Third of China Desertified
Science and Technology Daily recently reported on severe desertification of land in China. With 2,636,200 square kilometers of desertified land, China is now one of the largest countries of desertification. Nearly 0.4 billion people are living in those areas. Human factors have been identified as the primary cause of the problem. Under the burden of high-speed economic development, the demand for water is above the bearing capacity. Stockbreeding [overgrazing] has overloaded the land as well. The article recommended four strategies to remedy the problem.
Source: Science and Technology Daily, June 18, 2009.
http://www.stdaily.com/special/content/2009-06/18/content_73248.htm
Military General: China Only Controls 4 Out of 500 Islands in the South China Sea
On June 18, General Zhang Li delivered a talk at a meeting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, saying China only controls 4 of the 500 islands in the South China Sea, while Vietnam has 29. The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei each has more than 3. China has no oil well there, but other countries have more than 1000 – with annual oil output of up to 100 million tons. This trend of development is speeding up. Vietnam and other countries are working closely with the US, Britain and Russia on further development. The Chinese Navy has only 8 vessels covering the area and current air force planes cannot reach the southern part of the South China Sea.
Source: Epoch Times, June 21, 2009.
http://epochtimes.com/gb/9/6/21/n2564777.htm
SCO: Anti-Terrorism Military Exercise Scheduled
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) announced on June 24 that the member countries agreed on the Kazakhstan’s proposal for the next military exercise. The exercise assumes a regional military conflict which will be tackled by a joint effort of the member country’s armies. The total manpower planned will be under 10,000 and the exercise is scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan in September 2010.
Source: China News, June 24, 2009.
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2009/06-24/1747952.shtml
Large Export Revenue Loss in 2008 Due to Failure to Comply with International Product Standards
The biggest challenge that Chinese export businesses face next to currency is compliance with the “technical barriers to trade,” the international product standards issued by the WTO. According to the National Bureau of Quality Inspection, 36.1 percent of export businesses failed to comply with the WTO’s “Technical Barriers to Trade.” In 2008, they suffered financial losses of US$50.5 billion.
Research data suggests that the top five countries or regions that affect China’s export businesses are the EU, U.S., Japan, Russia and Latin American countries. The top five businesses that suffered the most are electric parameters, agricultural production, textiles/garments/shoes/hats, and wood/paper/non-metasl and chemicals/minerals/metals.
Source: Xinhua, June 25, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2009-06/25/content_11602642.htm