Asia nations cautious on Internet<\/p>\n
By Ajoy Sen<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (Reuter): Asia's rapidly growing economies are using
\nInternet to integrate themselves with the world economy but some
\nof the region's governments are not entirely comfortable with the
\nphenomenon.<\/p>\n
The rise in the popularity of the global network has alarmed
\nsome governments, which fear unbridled access could lead to
\ndistribution of pornography, spread religious unorthodoxy or
\nencourage political dissidence.<\/p>\n
None of the governments has come up with any foolproof plan to
\nprevent the inflow of undesirable material on the network, and
\nexperts say such control is technically difficult.<\/p>\n
Yet most Asian countries also see the benefits of a network
\nwith 30 million users, and there has been a rapid growth of users
\nin the region -- from academics and computer buffs to government
\nagencies running sophisticated information boards.<\/p>\n
China, for example operates five main Internet systems, three
\nof them serving the scientific community.<\/p>\n
CERNET, linking major Chinese universities, will spread the
\nnet to students and professors at 100 campuses this year and
\n1,000 by the end of the decade. \"If China doesn't have this
\ninformation technology that we are developing here, then China
\ncannot develop,\" Li Xing, CERNET's lead architect, said.<\/p>\n
Singapore's government runs a one-stop digital information
\ncenter, Infomap, to highlight information about the island.<\/p>\n
In Vietnam, the Vietnam Academic Research and Educational
\nNetwork (VARENET) started in April last year, with hubs in Hanoi
\nand Ho Chi Minh City, and has about 140 institutions as members.<\/p>\n
Pakistan is due to introduce the Internet by this December.<\/p>\n
The Internet, a global network of computer users is linked by
\ntelephone lines. Users can exchange electronic mail or post
\nmessages on business deals, swap information, scan research
\npublished by universities, governments and companies and shop
\nacross the world.<\/p>\n
While individuals and companies in the region continue to join
\nthe information superhighway, Asian governments are keen to
\nprotect traditional conservative values.<\/p>\n
A senior official in Singnet, one of two state-linked
\norganizations in Singapore involved with providing the service,
\ntold Reuters it is technically impossible to control the entire
\ninflow of information on Internet.<\/p>\n
Ong Wee Cheong, product manager of Singnet, said it
\nselectively posts materials for users. But Singapore remains
\nconcerned about defamatory language used in and about the more
\nsleazy part of the Internet, such as pictures from Playboy and
\nPenthouse magazines, which are banned in Singapore.<\/p>\n
While warning against excessive regulation, acting Environment
\nMinister and National Information Technology Committee chairman,
\nTeo Chee Hean, said: \"A sense of balance is required, and some
\ncontrol is required to ensure that we can reap the benefits and
\nshut out or minimize the dangers.\"<\/p>\n
In China, the chief of the China Education and Research
\nNetwork, or CERNET, Wu Jianping, said the country's leaders fret
\nover an influx of \"detrimental\" ideas.<\/p>\n
But they had accepted assurances that operators have both
\ntechnical and less delicate means of filtering out pornography
\nand political dissent. \"They know there is a sure-fire way -- you
\nturn off the power,\" Wu said.<\/p>\n
With the availability of cheaper computers and reasonable
\nservice fees charged by most service providers, the Internet has
\nbecome a major business incentive for poor countries like
\nVietnam, where owning a computer was a dream some years ago.<\/p>\n
In communist Vietnam, problems of control and access do not
\nreally arise yet because it is a newcomer to the Internet, with
\ntwo systems and only a few hundred users.<\/p>\n
In fast-developing Indonesia, the Secretary-General of the
\nMinistry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, Jonathan
\nParapak, while saying the Internet was an unavoidable consequence
\nof globalization, warned Indonesians on its uses.<\/p>\n
Indointernet, the largest of the four private providers, has
\nabout 2,300 customers. It said that while more than 60 percent of
\nthose were business people, most just used the system's e-mail to
\nkeep in touch with staff and clients.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hafeez, a senior scientist at Pakistan's state-owned
\nNational Institute of Electronics, told Reuters he did not
\nbelieve that Internet access would lead to a sudden flood of
\npornography and blasphemy.<\/p>\n
Rather, access would be limited by the small number of nodes
\nand hosts available to users. The service provider could also
\nintervene to stop undesirable discussion groups and electronic
\nmessages, he said.<\/p>",
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