The Fall of Bo Xilai

[knloregon]

knloregon, on 31 March 2012 - 09:49 PM, said:

And Randy,

 

--------as a follow up of your last post -----let me give you an example of how sensitive this issue has become, from our perspective.

 

The Chinese side of my family are party members, which is to say, generally with uncensored access to information. When I tried to discuss the Bo issue (in Feb.) with Father (old Communist---some rank) ---he had no idea what I was talking about. We now forward emails to sister-in-law in Guangdong, who forwards them to Father in Hunan. The Great Fire Wall has been circumvented, but if you don't know what your are looking for to begin with, you are unlikely to find it..

 

"Sorry, not really seeing any point here."

 

Suggest this: (WSJ: today's print edition: "Beijing Cracks Down on Web Commentary to Quell Political Speculation.."

[Randy W]

knloregon, on 31 March 2012 - 09:49 PM, said:

And Randy,

 

--------as a follow up of your last post -----let me give you an example of how sensitive this issue has become, from our perspective.

 

The Chinese side of my family are party members, which is to say, generally with uncensored access to information. When I tried to discuss the Bo issue (in Feb.) with Father (old Communist---some rank) ---he had no idea what I was talking about. We now forward emails to sister-in-law in Guangdong, who forwards them to Father in Hunan. The Great Fire Wall has been circumvented, but if you don't know what your are looking for to begin with, you are unlikely to find it..

 

"Sorry, not really seeing any point here."

 

Suggest this: (WSJ: today's print edition: "Beijing Cracks Down on Web Commentary to Quell Political Speculation.."

 

We don't seem to be getting anywhere here

 

The sites that were closed were relatively minor players in China.

More noticeable for most Chinese was the decision to shut off the commenting services for microblogs run by the Sina Corporation and Tencent Holdings, which each have 300 million registered accounts.

On Sina’s Weibo service, users who tried to comment on posts after 8 a.m. Saturday were greeted with a message saying that microblogs contained “many rumors and illegal, destructive information.” The shutdown was necessary, the notice said, “to carry out a concentrated cleanup.” It said comments would be allowed starting Tuesday morning.

The measures allowed users to post, but not comment on others’ posts.

 

The crackdown was pretty well lifted as of today (Tuesday), no? (Back to business as usual, that is)

Edited April 3, 2012 by Randy W (see edit history)

[knloregon]

Well, Randy, As I posted 3/26:

 

"...Story has legs, thats for sure, and it definitely has out-paced any of the so-called 'fire-wall' censors (you want internet censorship---go to democratic India, or Italy for that matter).... So was Bo really trying to unify the armies of the west---classically referred to as the 'Third Line' ---to actually make a military run at Beijing? Not worth the ether it was printed on when wife referred to it from Chinese internet sources last week...."

 

(WSJ) PRC (Xinhua) Today: "The coup rumors appear to have put Beijing on the defensive, forcing leaders to the center of the speculation to appear before the cameras and acknowledge the existence of the the rumors through official channels."

 

But as to FIL in Hunan, it appears there are local censors at work, and for some time. As I cited for our family experience.

[Randy W]

Yes - the rumors ran wild for a few days, tanks in the streets of Beijing, and things like that. Their usual approach is to allow the rumors to circulate for awhile (plays right into their hand, in my opinion), and then clamp down on the "extremist malcontents".

 

The whole incident with Bo Xilai, in my judgement, indicates that they're not turning back - I still see China as a big social engineering experiment, the results of which won't be fully known for several generations.

 

We don't see any local censorship that I'm aware of. I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all.

[dan1984]

Yes - the rumors ran wild for a few days, tanks in the streets of Beijing, and things like that. Their usual approach is to allow the rumors to circulate for awhile (plays right into their hand, in my opinion), and then clamp down on the "extremist malcontents".

 

The whole incident with Bo Xilai, in my judgement, indicates that they're not turning back - I still see China as a big social engineering experiment, the results of which won't be fully known for several generations.

 

We don't see any local censorship that I'm aware of. I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all.

 

What big conference in Hainan? Is that where you guys live?

[Randy W]

Yes - the rumors ran wild for a few days, tanks in the streets of Beijing, and things like that. Their usual approach is to allow the rumors to circulate for awhile (plays right into their hand, in my opinion), and then clamp down on the "extremist malcontents".

 

The whole incident with Bo Xilai, in my judgement, indicates that they're not turning back - I still see China as a big social engineering experiment, the results of which won't be fully known for several generations.

 

We don't see any local censorship that I'm aware of. I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all.

 

What big conference in Hainan? Is that where you guys live?

 

Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2012

 

We live in 玉林，桂 - Yulin, Guangxi

[dan1984]

Yes - the rumors ran wild for a few days, tanks in the streets of Beijing, and things like that. Their usual approach is to allow the rumors to circulate for awhile (plays right into their hand, in my opinion), and then clamp down on the "extremist malcontents".

 

The whole incident with Bo Xilai, in my judgement, indicates that they're not turning back - I still see China as a big social engineering experiment, the results of which won't be fully known for several generations.

 

We don't see any local censorship that I'm aware of. I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all.

 

What big conference in Hainan? Is that where you guys live?

 

Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2012

 

We live in 玉林，桂 - Yulin, Guangxi

 

Ahh, yes, oh course I know you guys live in Guanxi, I just had a total brain lapse in trying to figure out what conference you guys were talking about.

[knloregon]

"...I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all...."

 

Interesting....

[tsap seui]

"...I was visited on Saturday (the day before the big conference in Hainan) by the National security (NSB?) folks, who wanted to know if I was planning on going there. One thing they asked about was what websites I "talked with friends" on, so they may be checking us out here - I don't see that as a concern at all...."

 

Interesting....

 

As a single tension building note on an old organ rises in the background, I can hear Vincent Price saying in his manaically calm voice, "Interesting, very interesting indeed.....MOOOOHAHAHAHA"

 

tsap seui

[honeybun]

Randy, so you mentioned this website to them? Did they write it down? Just curious.

[Randy W]

Randy, so you mentioned this website to them? Did they write it down? Just curious.

 

I did for them - it was offline here for a couple of days

[knloregon]

sort of understand Randy's bind.... the one word response was to not draw any further attention..... although, a reading (as a whole) here would be generally favorable to the PRC government....

[Randy W]

Some inside information from the New York Times

 

Death of a Briton Is Thrust to Center of China Scandal

 

 

 

Before Mr. Heywood’s death, Mr. Bo and Mr. Wang were already under scrutiny by central disciplinary authorities over corruption and other allegations, according to these sources, and to others with ties to senior party figures. If so, the evidence of a murder would have come as an opportune development in the inner-party struggle over the new leadership lineup.

During more than 30 hours spent at the consulate, Mr. Wang told officials that Ms. Gu had plotted to poison Mr. Heywood, and turned over a police file with highly technical documents, according to people knowledgeable about the case. But Mr. Wang, these people said, also apparently revealed far more: an unprecedented trove of knowledge on the leadership struggle.

A man answering the door on Tuesday at the London home of Mr. Heywood’s mother, Ann Margaret Heywood, said she was not available for comment. But 10 days earlier, she rejected any suggestion that her son might have been murdered, insisting that he had a heart attack, like his father at age 63. “I don’t know where it comes from, this stuff about his being poisoned and so on,” she said. “This is not about Neil, this is about Chinese politics, and people’s desire to write about Chinese politics. It is absolutely horrid to be caught up in this side of things.

[Randy W]

. . . and this from the Wall Street Journal

 

Fewsmith: After Bo, Beijing Still Has to Face Left

[knloregon]

And now, its all blown wide open: (WSJ) "China Drama Now A Murder Mystery" (Beijing Strips Bo Xilai of Party Posts: Wife Held In Death of UK Businessman." ---stunning developments. And to be a fly on the wall inside of the party leadership meeting in the run-up!

 

Think of PRC politics as a single celled animal. (at least in the public's eyes) This could lead to a cell division. Roughly two camps vying for recognition among the public (of course, it probably won't) but it could: A more nationalist/central planning side represented by the Bo camp, vs. a society who's economy at least, is freer, more western, currently represented by the Wen side---and hasn't that old man stepped up in the last few weeks?---really taken on the banks. So his powers of persuasion in the central committee must be considerable right now.

 

But murder charges! This finishes Bo, and anyone who dares to align with him. What a specter---the dynamic, attractive woman labeled in last week's WSJ "the Jackie Kennedy of China" ----possibly put to death!