More than 100 intellectuals issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning China's closure of a website co-sponsored by a Hong Kong university noted for political openness.

The 103 signatories included well-known intellectuals such as dissident writers Liu Xiaobo, Yu Jie and Tibetan author Oser, journalists Gao Yu and Li Datong as well as lawyers Teng Biao and Pu Zhiqiang.

The statement follows the closure of "Century China" — www.cc.org.cn — and an associated discussion forum — www.ccforum.org.cn — by Beijing authorities last week.

"We understand very well that…government administrative power has the most damaging effect on free speech," the statement posted on the US-based boxun.com website said.

"This is why we must voice our clear and strong protest," the statement added.

"The closure of Century China…has ruined the last oasis of knowledge on China's Internet," it said.

The move marks the Chinese government's latest attempt to rein in the free flow of information on the Internet to prevent the spread of ideas considered too sensitive by the authorities.

Gao Yu, who spent seven years in jail for her writings, said the government's draconian measures to crack down on free speech had gone too far.

"It's the intellectuals' responsibility to think and to voice their opinions," said the winner of UNESCO's Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom award in 1997.

"(The freedom of speech situation) has regressed to worse than the Mao Zedong era…this is saying that the authorities are too weak," she added.

The Century China websites offered information on current affairs and allowed users to freely express opinions and post commentaries on political issues and social problems, such as democracy and the plight of farmers.

One of its most popular forums had 30,000 registered members, Century China said earlier.

The websites were jointly set up by a Beijing research institute and the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Institute of Chinese Studies in 2000.

The Beijing Communications Administration ordered the closure of the websites in July on the grounds that they were not licensed to provide news and information.