China: Beijing starts new campaign to check Internet cafes

Source : http://www.Chinaview.cn BEIJING, May 12
Beijing has started a three-month campaign to scrutinize the city's 1,007 licensed Internet cafes.
The aim of the campaign is to get cyber cafes to run in an orderly manner by severely punishing illegal operators, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.
Back in 2004, the country also launched a nationwide campaign to rectify Internet cafes breaking government rules by shutting down 50,000 cyber cafes operating without a licence.
However, according to a recent report from the China Radio International, the malpractice of illegal cyber cafes in urban suburbs, small towns and the countryside remains a problem.
The paper said the drive, started on Wednesday by the city's bureaux of culture, public security, industry and commerce, mainly targets those bars breaking government rules on Internet management and admitting minors, a rising concern in the Chinese capital recently.
There are about 4 million Internet surfers in Beijing, or almost one in every three residents, the daily paper said.
Once found breaking government rules, the paper noted, Internet cafes will face three types of punishment.
A cyber cafe which admits minors twice or three minors at one time will be ordered to stop business for two weeks while a cafe that permits eight minors at one time or allows minors in twice will have its business licence revoked.
Read the complete story at
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/12/content_4537259.htm