China cracks down on Beijing night spots

BEIJING, July 18 (UPI) -- The Chinese government has been cracking down on Beijing bars and nightclubs in advance of the Summer Olympics.

Some night spots have been closed, at least temporarily.

Other bar owners in the Sanlitun district have been told to promise they will keep blacks and Mongolians out for the duration of the games, The Age of Australia reports. Mongolians have the reputation in China of being involved in drugs and prostitution.

A gay bar, Destination, has been ordered to close its dance floor.

Six bars and restaurants in the Beijing Workers Stadium, the venue for Olympic soccer, have been ordered to close until the games end, the report said.

Businesses in the central city report that security restrictions on courier shipments have become far more stringent. CD-ROMs cannot be shipped at all and cell phones only if the phones and batteries are sent separately.

The government had already imposed a ban on vehicles not registered in Beijing, a move enforced by armed guards at checkpoints.