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SINGAPORE: Entry to an article by Singapore Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, protecting how American President Joe Biden known as his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping a “dictator,” has reportedly been blocked for web customers in Hong Kong.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong readers trying to entry the June 21 article on Lianhe Zaobao’s web site encountered an error message stating, “Sorry, however that web page doesn’t exist.” Curiously, different articles on the identical web site remained accessible throughout the identical interval.
Additional investigation revealed that articles discussing the anniversary of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Sq. bloodbath, in addition to current arrests of Hong Kong residents commemorating the occasion in public, had been additionally unavailable on the newspaper’s web site for Hong Kong customers.
Nevertheless, readers outdoors Hong Kong may entry the articles on the Singapore Press Holdings-owned web site with out problem.
The geo-block has additional escalated tensions between the 2 superpowers, following a go to to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed toward easing relations. The problem has additionally sparked contemporary issues of web censorship and the potential stifling of dissent in Hong Kong.
It’s unclear whether or not the block was imposed by Lianhe Zaobao or the Hong Kong authorities.
In keeping with Radio Free Asia (RFA), Zhou Shuguang, a community engineer and citizen journalist residing in Taiwan, examined the technical data out there on the paper’s web site and concluded that the blockage possible originated from Hong Kong-based servers internet hosting the content material, reasonably than being imposed by the newspaper in Singapore.
Zhou advised RFA that whereas host servers are positioned in numerous world areas for quicker entry, the servers in Hong Kong would fall below the management of native authorities, who may apply provisions from the nationwide safety legislation to limit content material vital of the federal government.
He additionally prompt the potential of self-censorship by Lianhe Zaobao to take care of entry to readers in mainland China, the place strict media controls are enforced.
Alternatively, Wong Ho-wa, an information scientist and pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, advised RFA that it appeared the newspaper had decided to limit sure content material for Hong Kong customers.
He defined that if exterior blockage had been imposed, your entire web site can be inaccessible, as seen in earlier situations of web censorship within the area. Wong famous that media organizations typically make choices about content material availability based mostly on numerous elements, akin to compliance with native rules.
Lianhe Zaobao has stated that they’re trying into the problem however didn’t present additional remark whereas Hong Kong authorities’s Innovation, Expertise and Trade Bureau said that the matter didn’t fall inside its jurisdiction.
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