In Cuba, hen Fidel Castro was admitted to the hospital, his stand-in as leader of the country, brother Raul Castro, quickly decreed an end to satellite dishes. By ending satellite dishes he also terminated western (primarily U.S.) TV sources.
The stories from Cuba started to appear on about August 9 and typically included lines like, "Cuba's communist government has signaled a crackdown on black-market satellite dishes used by citizens to get news and views from its arch enemy, the United States, nine days after ailing leader Fidel Castro temporarily relinquished power to his brother."
China's Communist government has long controlled print media, TV and the internet. Many sites, like that of my own Washington Times, are "blocked" and cannot be accessed from within China.
"Foreign agencies have long been barred from selling general news directly to the Chinese media. Some foreign companies have been quietly testing the limits as the number of Chinese media outlets has grown and Chinese editors have become more daring," said the New York Times. "Xinhua sent a clear warning to all sides, listing 10 categories of news covering politics, religion and national unity - code for Taiwan -that could not be released into China."
"Not surprisingly, it [Xinhua news agency and the government of China] didn't quote any critics," wryly wrote a New York Times editor.
Vietnam, just a few weeks ago, arrested a Vietnamese-born America in Vietnam to visit family members. Cong Thanh Do, 47, of San Jose, California, has been held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam without charges or access to a lawyer or anyone else from outside the Communist government since August 17, 2006.
The crime committed by Mr. Do, western observers believe, is that he has, in the past, posted pro-democracy articles on web sites.
A letter from Reporters Without Borders on September 6, 2006, stated in part, "Five people are currently imprisoned in Vietnam for having expressed democratic views on the Internet."
"Contrary to the claims of the Vietnamese authorities, none of them is a terrorist, criminal or spy. These men have been punished for using the Internet to publicly express their disagreement with the political line of the sole party. They are non-violent democrats."
Sebsequent to running a story about Mr. Do on the web site http://peace-and-freedom.blogspot.com/ , we were contacted by the family of Thuong N. Foshee. According to her family, "On September 8, 2005 she [Mrs. Foshee] was detained by the Vietnamese government and has been in a detention center in HCMC ever since. She has not been charged with any crime, has been denied bail, has been denied a visit with an attorney, her prescription medication has been withheld and she has been denied adequate dental and medical care."
"Like Mr. Do, she belongs to an organization in the states that advocates democracy in Vietnam. For this she has been labeled a terrorist in Vietnam just as Mr. Do has. Her detention has been arbitrary and continues with no end in sight."
This is the same Communist government that is anxious for U.S. approval to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), seeks Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the U.S., and expects to host President Bush at the APECs 20 in Hanoi this November.
An AFP news report on September 9, 2006, said, "Two US senators have sought the personal intervention of US President George W. Bush to ensure that the bill granting Vietnam Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) is passed before his trip to the APEC summit in Vietnam's capital Hanoi in November."
APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
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