China has shut down more than 8,600 unlicensed Internet cafes across the country since February when it launched a nationwide check on all Internet cafes, according to Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng.

These cafes were closed for admitting juveniles in violation of relevant regulations, said Sun.

Sun made the remarks at a recent week-long nationwide clean-up campaign for Internet cafes.

"Some unlicensed Internet cafes, especially in some townships, counties and areas joining town and country, still need to be clamped down on, and some local governments do not impose severe punishment on those cafes who allow the entry of juveniles," Sun said.

Local governments across China have been ordered not to approve any Internet cafe operations in residential areas or within 200 meters of primary and high schools.

The General Administration for Industry and Commerce (GAIC), China's market watchdog, said currently in China, many Internet cafes, especially those without licenses, admit juveniles in violation of relevant regulations and spread unhealthy information online.

"They have brought great harm to the mental health of teenagers and interfered with the school teaching, which has aroused strong reaction from the public," said the GAIC.

A recent tragedy in this regard happened in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on March 31, when two junior middle school students were crushed to death by a train when they fell asleep on the train track after surfing the Internet for over 48 hours in a cafe.

The Industrial and Commercial Administration of Shapingba District, where the cafe was located, confiscated five computers and illegal gains by Ou Zheng, the boss of the unregistered cafe.

Ou was also fined 30,000 yuan (3,600 US dollars) for his illegal operation of the unlicensed cafe, according to the administration.

The Chinese government has launched a nationwide check on all Internet cafes from February to August so as to halt the entry of minors as well as to prevent access to detrimental information through the Internet, according to a circular released in February jointly by the Ministry of Culture, the GAIC, the Ministry of Public Security and other relevant government departments.

During the period, the government departments will take resolute, unyielding measures to enhance supervision over Internet cafe business and shut down those with no licenses. Any such place allowing juveniles to enter or allowing unhealthy information to spread through the Internet will face rigid, severe penalty.

"We must take utmost resolutions and make utmost efforts in the clean-up campaign to achieve our anticipated goal, for Internet cafe management has an important bearing on the healthy growing of juveniles," said Sun Jiazheng.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2004)