A campaign to close illegal Internet bars and clean up other venues offering Internet services in Shenzhen was launched Thursday.

Yu Weiliang, deputy secretary general of the Shenzhen Municipal Government announced the campaign after attending a teleconference organized by the State Council to call for a nationwide campaign.

The campaign, which is scheduled to last until August, is aimed at providing a healthy environment for the younger generation.

Yu said there were more than 2,000 venues offering Internet services in the city's six districts, but only 218 were licensed.

All illegal Internet bars would be closed and Internet venues would be strictly off-limits for people under the age of 18. Internet bars which displayed pornography and other "vicious cultural information" would be severely punished, Yu said.

To ensure the success of the campaign, special work teams will be organized at municipal and district levels with the support of government departments including culture, public security, industry and business administration, education and telecommunication administration.

Phone numbers for the public to report offences will be published in local media.

(Shenzhen Daily February 20, 2004 )