By Catherine Armitage
AUSTRALIA’S $900 million education export
trade with China is under attack from a Chinese Government campaign to block internet
access within the country to the banned spiritual group Falun Gong.
Spooked
universities are understood to be working secretly on ways to get around the so-called
Great Firewall of China after the University of Technology, Sydney website was
blocked twice within China over a period of more than three months until late
August.
The university suffered "very major damage" as a result
of the blocks, which were traced to a state-owned telecommunications company in
Beijing, pro-vice chancellor (international) David Goodman said.
From
May until two weeks ago, enrolment inquiries from the university’s biggest overseas
market collapsed and the work of staff and students within China was severely
disrupted, Professor Goodman said.
The site was unblocked a second time
after the Australian embassy in Beijing protested, and UTS expunged all references
to Falun Gong from its website.
The university was caught in a "political
row" between the Chinese Government and Falun Gong, Professor Goodman said.
He said "lots" of other universities within Australia and overseas had
similar experiences.
The sector has gone to ground for fear of "inflaming
the situation", as one source explained.
Australian Vice-Chancellors
Committee chief executive John Mullarvey said the incident would be "of concern"
but the AVCC needed to investigate further before deciding whether to take it
up with the Chinese or Australian governments. He had not heard of similar incidents
involving Australian universities.
A spokesman for federal Education Minister
Brendan Nelson said it had been properly a matter for the diplomatic service.
"We understand that the university has already communicated with them on
that issue," he said.
Professor Goodman said UTS first learned of
the website blockage in May and complained to officials at the Chinese consulate
in Sydney, who denied any knowledge of it. Ben Hurley of the university’s Falun
Dafa Meditation Club said he heard that the Chinese Government had pressured the
university over an art exhibition on campus depicting members’ experiences in
Chinese detention.
On June 20, the university council held a rowdy meeting
at which the controversial introduction of more full-fee paying places was announced.
University spokesman James Willoughby said UTS vice-chancellor Ross Milbourne
mentioned the website blockage as an example of risks to the university’s income
that "had to be managed".
But the Vice-Chancellor’s further comments
at that meeting are in dispute.
Professor Milbourne through a spokesman denied
saying anything about having to wear losses in income from China as a result of
taking a principled stand on the website issue, as the UTS Student’s Association
President Michelle Sparks, who was at the meeting, claims he did.
Ms Spark’s
version appeared in the Falun Gong publication Epoch Times and on the Falun Gong
website clearwisdom.net around July 6. The university believes that as a result
of those articles, its website, having become accessible in China again only the
week before, was blocked for a second time.
After the second blockage the
Australian Embassy pleaded the university’s case in Beijing. The website was unblocked
for the second time about two weeks ago.
A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry
of Education denied all knowledge of the UTS website blockage and said it was
not within the Ministry’s ambit.
The Ministry for Public Security which administers
Internet monitoring and censorship did not respond to The Australian’s questions.
http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16570813%255E421,00.html
Posting date: 114/Sep/2005
Original article date: 12/Sep/2005
Category:
Media Report
