Daily commentary about China by TIME correspondents.

Charter 08 Fallout Continues

Recently we reported on the arrest of dissident intellectual Liu Xiaobo and police interviews with dozens of other signatories of Charter 08, the pro-democracy manifesto released during a period of sensitive anniversaries last month. The number of mainland scholars, artists and writers who have been questioned by authorities about the document has since grown. The ngo Chinese Human Rights Defenders says that at least 101 signers have been interviewed by police in the past month. The police want to learn who wrote the 4,000-word document and how it was disseminated. "Interrogations often end with the authorities demanding an individual publicly renounce his or her support for the charter," says a recent CHRD press release. "If this request is not met, police have accused signatories of joining 'an illegal association,' being 'suspected of plotting to overthrow the regime' or otherwise intimidated or threatened them."

Today a prominent mainland blog site, bullog.cn, was blocked, which may also be connected to Charter 08. A few of the liberal outlet's bloggers wrote about the document, and at least four signed it. I spoke briefly with Bullog founder Luo Yonghao this afternoon. He said he wasn't sure why the site was blocked, and wouldn't speculate on a Charter 08 connection. C.A. Yeung of the Under the Jacaranda Tree blog noted in December that Bullog had dropped two of its bloggers, apparently for writing about Charter 08.

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  • 1

    [...] Comments The China Blog - TIM… on More Charter 08 Casualties: Bu…Ned Kelly on How to write goodjustrecently on How to [...]

  • 2

    [...] bad one was the first article I read in this excellent blog, containing the paragraph: Today a prominent mainland blog site, [...]

  • 3

    The voice of a north wind.

    An alley
    brings me in
    the sound
    of a waterfall,
    with a white
    water recalling
    the purpose
    and the flight
    of a swallow.

    Francesco Sinibaldi

  • 4

    http://www.newsweek.com/id/178810
    It does not matter the cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice/rat.
    Liberal democracy/free market is at a dead end.

  • 5

    How naive the signers are!
    How hateful the bandit CCP is!

  • 6

    It does not matter the cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice/rat.

    It does not matter the milk is pure or melamine-laced, as long as people drink it and don't drop dead right away.

    No wonder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Liberal democracy is not at a dead end, and will never meet one.

    But the free market, trade liberalization, economic globalization may be facing a dead end.

  • 7

    http://www.newsweek.com/id/178810

    Quote: “In fact, the main reason China is not slowing as fast as the other big five economies is its capacity for what economists ridicule, in normal times, as state meddling: it limited foreign investment in the banking sector and didn't embrace the exotic financial innovations that are the melting core of the global credit crisis.
    ” end of quote.

    What a joke! This guy gotta be kidding me. The only reason that China is not slowing as fast as the other big five economies is all the economic news, statistics, nuts and bolts are fabricated ,heavily doged and "melamine-laced".

    All the so-called good news are from the CCP's "statistic bureau" that exclusively carrys out the analysis.

    If you guys watch CCTV everyday, you won't have any doubt that China is in developed world already and pretty well-to-do, all its people are millionair

    "Why does China's brand of command capitalism work?" The only logic that works is CCP told the "statistic bureau" that it does work. So "statistic bureau" cook the books and show how successful command capitalism is.

    If you judge the success by what CCP says, then, congratulations, you stand a big chance of being hired by the party.

    Whatever, time will tell, just wait for 2-3months, then you get to China to see how successful command capitalism is.

  • 8

    There are two extreme of China experts.
    1. http://www.newsweek.com/id/178810
    2. John2008obama: They are all evils. They should be confronted before they take over the world. They cannot be trusted because they are godless communist. However, the only trustworthy persons are the god fearing American politicians.
    When confronted with realities on the ground, they both said time will tell. It is reminicent about the timing of the second coming of Christ. The typical answer is "time will tell"
    This is the answer that will never fail.
    LOL

  • 9

    [...] China these days from the parents of the kids affected by melamine poisoning to the Charter 08 signatories. You have to wonder whether Beijingers will meekly go back to living in a cloud of toxic muck again [...]

  • 10

    [...] month from Bullog, which was later closed as part of Beijing’s anti-vulgarity Internet sweep. Some China blogosphere watchers believe the real reason was the number of Bullog members who signed last December’s [...]

  • 11

    I am just writing to let everyone knows that Bullog's international version has returned. Here is its new address:
    http://www.bullogger.com/

  • 12

    [...] meetings, and perhaps shutting down Chinese blog provider Bullog.cn, or at least that’s what many believe is behind the current anti-vulgarity campaign, as well deleting the new blogs by Bullog refugees [...]

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