Kim's Death Most Popular Topic on China Blogs
The death of Kim Jong-Il was the most talked-about topic on China's popular micro blogs on Tuesday, with more than 10 million posts, most of them critical of the former North Korean leader.
Many were in stark contrast to the stance taken by China's official media, which has hailed the former dictator as a close friend who dedicated his life to his country.
"Although I am a Chinese citizen, I am not bitter and do not want to mourn," posted one user of Sina's weibo, the most popular of China's Twitter-like micro blogging services, under the name woshiyizhiC.
"On the contrary, I am very happy, because the death of a dictator is the blessing of the citizens of any country."
Another user of Sina's weibo, posting under the name WesternRain, criticised the naming of Kim's son as his successor, saying "a country should not be controlled by one family only."
Sina's weibo logged more than 6.5 million posts on the topic as of Tuesday, while a rival service provided by Internet company Tencent had five million comments.
Ordinary Chinese are increasingly using weibos to express views at odds with the country's tightly controlled official media, posing a challenge to government censors.
With more than half a billion Chinese now online, authorities in Beijing are increasingly concerned about the power of the Internet to influence public opinion.
On Friday, authorities in China's capital issued new rules requiring micro bloggers to register their real names before posting online, as the Chinese government tightens its grip on the Internet.
Source: Agence France Presse
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