Crackdown on Monks and Porn

The Associated Press have reported that the Tibetan monks who were the first responders to the quake-hit victims in Yushu have been told to leave.

This was relayed from a phone call, saying they had better leave otherwise there would be "trouble".

They were the ones who first arrived, pulled out survivors, pitched tents and gave food and water to people. And as I blogged on Wednesday, they were noticeably absent from the proceedings to mark the one-week anniversary of the earthquake on China Central Television's special programming.

But now something even more bizarre is happening.

Qinghai officials are now promising to have a province-wide crackdown on pornography to make sure harmful literature does not hamper relief efforts.

Huh?

A notice issued from Qinghai's anti-pornography and illegal publications office ordered officials to "fully understand the significance of maintaining an orderly publication market in the quake relief effort" and to step up on cracking down on pornographic and illegal publications, China National Radio reported Wednesday.

The office also said officials should watch out for "lawbreakers who use illegal publications to disturb people's hearts and disrupt the relief effort". The officials are also supposed to crack down on any rumours that may be spread through the Internet and cellphones.

How could anyone near the quake-hit area be concerned with porn at this time? Most people would be more anxious about saving lives and focusing on reconstruction than some dirty pictures.

Perhaps they really want to try to prevent any dissent or complaints from being circulated online and via text messages.

Why not focus on relief efforts? Actions speak louder than words.