Internet for Communication or Persecution?

CTEWC Forum (January 2016)

The invention of internet and smart phone affects tremendously our daily lives, especially to those who live in city. Many internet users see the internet as a global community without borders, a space for free exchange of ideas and dissemination of news or information. Whereas many others think that internet will make entertainment and shopping much more convenient, thus, a chance of expansion of mobile e-commerce and market expansion of online shopping.

China owns the world’s largest online citizenry — about 668 million strong, with most of them using smart phone. The total internet penetration rate was 48.8 per cent across mainland China, according to the official China Internet Network Information Centre. As in the rest of the world, young people account for a majority of internet users. People between ten and thirty years of age make up 55.2 percent of the online population in China.

However, China has been criticized for its strict internet regulations where it blocks major sites and censors posts. Not only do Chinese technological companies spend huge amount in developing an all-encompassing network of monitoring, thus, restricting Chinese people from accessing certain websites, including facebook and many Church organizations. It is not uncommon that some sensitive words, such as June 4 or human rights fail to appear. Moreover, posts on internet have been used as tools and evidence to persecute dissidents. In a nationwide crackdown on online rumours launched in the summer of 2013, hundreds of internet users were punished and some detained for disseminating “rumours” on the internet. Several influential online bloggers were convicted on various charges, including “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, which effectively silenced many others.

One recent example is the arrest and detention of human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang who has been charged with “inciting ethnic hatred” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by writing microblog (or weibo), commentaries critical of the Communist Party. Pu was arrested and detained for 19 months, before he was put to trial in court in mid-December 2015. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years. Pu’s ordeal is widely seen as a political case to silence him and to warn other rights advocates against speaking up. Pu’s associates say his sharp criticisms of the government, his representations of many high-profile rights cases (including artist Ai Weiwei), his advocacy of scrapping the country’s labour camp system, and his popularity in the Chinese media has rendered him a threat in the eyes of the authorities.

It is ironic that in more or less the same time of Pu’s trial, a World Internet Conference sponsored by Beijing was held in Zhejiang province of China. Guests from various countries, including the head of facebook were invited. Speaking at the conference, China's President Xi Jinping has called on countries to respect one another’s “cyber sovereignty” and different internet governance models. Mr Xi said countries had the right to choose how to develop and regulate their internet.

In the view of the above, it reminds me that the Church has a two-fold aim in regard to the media. One aspect is to encourage their right development and right use for the sake of human development, justice, and peace—for the upbuilding of society at the local, national, and community levels in light of the common good and in a spirit of solidarity. Thus, the Church seeks honest and respectful dialogue with those responsible for the communications media—a dialogue that relates primarily to the shaping of media policy. In this way, it becomes possible for the Church to offer meaningful proposals for removing obstacles to human progress and the proclamation of the Gospel. Besides, the Church's concern also relates to communication in and by the Church herself. Communication is of the essence of the Church. The Church's practice of communication should be exemplary, reflecting the highest standards of truthfulness, accountability, sensitivity to human rights, and other relevant principles and norms. (see Pontifical Council for Social Communications, “The Church and Internet,” no.3)

Therefore, internet should be used as a means to promote communication and human development rather than a tool to regulate people’ ideas and thought. Internet should never be twisted as an instrument to persecute those who advocate human rights and help the marginalized to seek for justice.

柬埔寨之旅的反思

我們從他蒙受了這命令：那愛天主的，也該愛自己的弟兄姊妹。(若一4:21)

天主是愛、以愛還愛，是每位信徒都知道的道理。但知易行難，只有當我們在親身經驗過天主的愛被主轉化後，並願意以具體行動愛自己的弟兄姊妹，才算真正的實踐以愛還愛。而那些只是口裡說愛天主，卻對四周的人漠不關心，或對那些被忽略、被歧視、被壓迫的人視若無睹，甚至認為他們不值得愛，則算不上愛天主。

剛從柬埔寨回來，探訪了在當地服務的香港教友傳教士，以及她們服務的學校、殘障人士康復中心、艇戶和堂區等。聽到教友傳教士的信仰和經驗分享，看到她們在工作地方與同工和服務對象的密切關係，明白和初步體驗到她們的簡單但豐盛的生活，讓我感受到她們真的是在回應天主的愛，以愛還愛。

其中一位已服務近二十年的教友傳教士，甘願放下香港較為安穩的生活，遠赴他方，為較貧窮地區的兄弟姊妹服務，訓練當地教師，希望透過教育為人民帶來希望。另一位教友傳教士任職業治療師，則在柬埔寨的康復中心服務，筆者在探訪其中一間中心時，接觸了一些能力較弱的小孩和行動不便的青年，瞭解到他們的身體狀況、家庭背景和需要的訓練，而傳教士在訓練服務對象之餘，亦探訪他們的家庭和訓練當地的工作人員，希望透過發掘和提高這些小孩和青年的能力，讓他們肯定自已，懂得照顧自己。

教友傳教士明到自己能改變大環境很有限，不少地方仍長期處於貧窮狀態。但她們不看輕自己的貢獻，願意臨在於當地人民當中，陪伴有需要的人，盡一分力為柬埔寨人民，特別是兒童，帶來希望。她們的委身讓我深深感動，從她們身上看到耶穌的臉容，以及從她們服務的兒童和青年身上認出耶穌，所以，服務這些人士正是為主而做。

這些教友傳教士的海外傳信服務固然令人欣賞敬佩，但我們不必去到海外也可以服務他人，愛自己的弟兄姊妹。在日常生活中或在香港社會中，我們亦可發揮基督徒愛人的精神。只要我們對人仍有感覺，對弱小者不再漠不關心，不把欺凌和壓迫視若無睹，對不正常狀況視作理所當然，則可發現仍有不少機會可表達對姊妹弟兄以至對天主的愛。要有這種感覺，在接觸貧窮弱小者的同時，必須恆常祈禱默想，與天主保持親密關係，聆聽天主對自己的召叫和使命。