Social activists to set up post-quake Internet site

Social activist groups are planning to set up more local media Web sites in an effort to integrate information sources needed in reconstruction for areas affected by the 921 earthquake.

The new media site, called http://www.restoration.org.com, is the first step in a long-term project of community networking, according to activists.

In a symposium on organizing social movement via the Internet, Lee Shi-jie (李?h3?/CHINESE>), organizer of Aftershock, an Internet newspaper, said civilian reconstruction services needed an independent new medium for information integration.

"Currently post-quake news has been cooled down by major media groups, and most of the public relief teams have retreated from disaster areas, but people in those communities are still in need of information," Lee said.

According to Lee, the major problem in reconstruction works lies in the uneven distribution of aid sources and information among the social groups that provide services to the affected communities.

Currently, there are more than 30 workshops set up by social groups in townships of Nantou and Taichung Counties, the worse-hit regions in the 921 earthquake.

Services provided by these groups include free housing, structural inspection, urban and campus planning and community surveying.

Most of those groups had joined the National Alliance for Post-Earthquake Reconstruction (?thorn>盟) -- the biggest civilian group for the monitoring of post-quake reconstruction.

Existing Internet media sites are Chungliao Villagers Voices (??寮鄉親3?/CHINESE>), Kulau Network (-W3珘?/CHINESE>) and Shuanchi Village News (雙崎3☆?/CHINESE>).

But for Lee and his co-workers, the information problem remains despite these local media sources.

"Until now, a full list of all volunteer groups and workshops is unavailable," Lee said.

According to Aftershock, the new Internet site is aiming to become the interface among different post-quake websites.

"Through the media, different groups can see what others have been doing and communicate among themselves," he said.

The proposal, has received sponsorship from the New Homeland Foundation, a group on community development founded by Lee Yuan-tse (李遠-?/CHINESE>), president of Academia Sinica.

Lee's plan received support from Internet activist overseas. On his visit to Taiwan, Geert Lovink, an Amsterdam-based media critic and Internet activist, said networking is crucial to the affected communities.

Lovink is the founder of Internet magazines including Nettime, and Net Kritik. He was also the organizer of Help B92 -- an Internet campaign aimed to support independent media in Yugoslavia.

In the past three days, Lovink made visited Puli and Shihgang (石岡), meeting with local activists.

He said a long-term plan for community restoration was the most important aspect of reconstruction work.