Pan Shiyi attacked for backing Beijing's crackdown on rumors
Staff Reporter 2013-09-14 12:10
Pan Shiyi at the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan on April 8, 2013. (Photo/Xinhua)
Soho China chairman Pan Shiyi, Beijing's biggest real estate tycoon and one of the country's most popular microbloggers, has been accused of selling out after appearing in a state television interview in which he warned of the dangers of "casual" posts on the internet, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.
The 49-year-old Pan, who has nearly 17 million followers on Sina Weibo, has long been considered a liberal entrepreneur in China in favor of greater freedom of the internet. On Wednesday, however, Pan appeared on state broadcaster CCTV and gave his opinion on the "social responsibility" of netizens, stating that he believed they needed to be "more disciplined," appearing to give his backing to the government's campaign to crack down on people who spread rumors online.
"If we are post completely casually...then the social impact and damage will be large," he said, adding that he too has been the victim of vicious online rumors. Last year, a microblog post claimed that Pan had "swallowed" up to 5 billion yuan (US$817 million) of state funds, an allegation he vehemently denies.
Pan's comments come amid a recent effort launched by Chinese authorities to crack down on internet rumors, which have included strengthened censorship and a number of high-profile arrests of influential internet celebrities for spreading "false" stories. Activists claim that while the campaign appears to be aimed at rumors and fraudulent information on the web, the true target is political free speech.
New regulations announced by Chinese authorities this week noted that netizens could be jailed for up to three years if slanderous information spread online is viewed more than 5,000 times or forwarded more than 500 times.
While Pan's comments may be regarded as controversial to some of his supporters, most of his detractors have focused not on the content of his statements but rather on his nervous stuttering during the interview. Pan's lack of eloquence has been a hot topic on China's blogosphere, with many netizens imitating his speech impediment in written form.
