Cyber cafes gradually reopen after crackdown
( 2002-07-19 09:51 ) (1 )

More than 100 licensed cyber cafes in the country's capital are expected to resume business in the near future in the wake of rampant security checks, sources with the Beijing Culture Bureau said.

But illegal Internet cafes will be eradicated and pushed out of the market, added the source who refused to be unidentified.

"Internet cafes are allowed to reopen provided that they have been granted full licenses from the local bureau of culture, bureau of public security, bureau of telecommunications as well as the administrative bureau for industry and commerce," she said, adding that safety measures must be guaranteed.

Some 30 licensed Internet cafes became the first group to reopen among 2,400 Beijing Internet bars on Wednesday one month after a deadly cyber cafe fire that killed 25 people propelled the country's capital to shut down all such businesses. The two-month crackdown on unlicensed Internet cafes nationwide began July 1.

Huang Chengqing, deputy secretary general of the China Internet Association made it clear that the emphasis on regulating the Internet cafe market is on cracking down on illegal Internet cafes, strengthening safety measures in licensed cafes and simplifying the examination and approval procedures of Internet services so that Internet cafes could develop smoothly, according to Chinanews.com.

Data from Information Centre under the China Internet Association revealed that there were 33.7 million Internet surfers in China as of January of this year. Among them 5.19 million surf the Internet through cyber cafes, accounting for 15.4 per cent of all Internet surfers.

So the development of Internet cafes are encouraged but must be supervised to ensure sound growth, said Huang.

The 30 Internet cafes which reopened on Wednesday pledged in a joint public statement that they will refuse entry to people under 18, ban smoking and close between midnight and 8:00 am in line with regulations on Internet services issued by the Ministry of Information Industry.

The cafes also abided by fire safety measures such as unlocking doors and windows, removing barriers that blocked exits and installing fire fighting equipment, the statement said.

Gambling, violent video games and noisy behaviour are also banned, according to the statement.