Voice of America
October 3, 2015
A damaged room in a residential building is seen after several locations were targeted with parcel bombs in the southwestern city of Liuzhou, Guangxi province, Sept. 30, 2015. (REUTERS/String)
Chinese officials are trying to limit reporting about the deadly bombings this week in Guangxi Province. At least seven people diedin the attacks. More than 50 others were injured.
China’s central propaganda department released an order on Thursday. It limits reporting on this week’s bombings in Liuzhou by all Chinese media, including on social media.
Officials have barred the media from sending reporters to Liuzhou, the citywhere the bombs exploded. The media also are barred from publishingspecial reports on the attacks. Another government agency has banned the use of close-up pictures of the damage caused by the explosions.
The order said that Chinese media should “republish only authoritativesources such as Xinhua News. Violators must immediately” do what the notice directs, it said, and must remove already-published stories about the explosions.
The orders were republished on China Digital Times, an independent newsagency that reports on official restrictions.
The government also moved to restrict search keywords related to the bombings or the suspect on news websites and on social media, such as Weibo.
Critics say that Chinese officials often try to limit the spread of bad news or unconfirmed reports. Their efforts increase when incidents happen at a sensitive time. The bombs exploded just before China’s National Daycelebrations.
The officials also fear that news about the bombings could cause politicalproblems or make people believe that the government is not able to keepthem safe.
Willy Lam is a Hong Kong-based writer and studies China’s politics. He says the bombings are, in his words, “one more example of disgruntledcitizens using private and very violent means to vent their frustrationbecause they have no recourse to justice.” He says judges in China are strictly controlled by the government.
Many Chinese do not believe the country’s justice system is fair. Mr. Lamsays that is especially the case in rural areas, where the bombings tookplace. He says courts in such areas are probably under the control of China’s Communist Party.
Joyce Huan reported this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
