The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

January 18, 2005


Top news of the day

June 4th – prisoners – Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽)
State media ignores reformist's death
SCMP, January 18, 2005
Beijing released a brief statement on Zhao’s death, but silenced discussion of the topic on internet.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZMF06HJ3E.html

China defends 1989 crackdown, dismissal of sympathetic party leader
AP, 18 January 2005 (JOE McDONALD)
China on Tuesday defended its 1989 decision to depose former Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang, indicating there were no plans to honor him in death.
http://www.ap.org


(Please also see Special News Brief on Zhao’s death)


Protests and petitions
Petitioners can lead to criminal charge for outrages behavior
过激信访构成犯罪将究刑责
People’s Daily, January 18, 2005
The new petition regulations reserve the right to put petitioners on criminal charge for outranges acts.
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/3126582.html


News

Death penalty
Complete abolishment of death penalty still hard in today's China
People’s Daily, January 17, 2005
China may gradually reduce application of death penalty, but a complete abolishment remains difficult in China.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200501/17/eng20050117_17087
9.html

Education
Education in rural areas should meet their practical needs
乡村需要适应实际生活的“活教育”
China Youth Daily, January 18, 2005
Experts said the realization of 9-year compulsory education is important, but the realization should not be bound by the time, but the flexible and practical content.
http://zqb.cyol.com/gb/zqb/2005-01/18/content_1017647.htm

Environment
Water diverted into Pearl River system to ease salinity problem
SCMP, January 18, 2005
Guangdong authorities began to diverting 900 million cubic meters water into the Pearl River Delta System attempting to ease a water salinity problem in neighboring cities.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZFYY9HJ3E.html

Food security
China to tighten control on grain production
Xinhuanet.com, January 18, 2005
Although grain production increased in 2004, government would continue to tighten control on grain production through macro-economic policy.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/18/content_2474404.htm

Government – governance and accountability (law)
Draft regulations on disclosing public information to submit to State Council
政府信息公开条例完成草案起草 并上报到国务院
Chinesenewsnet.com, January 18, 2005
Draft regulations on public information disclosure will be submitted to the State Council for study.
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Mainland/
zxs_2005-01-18_529567.shtml

Human rights – education
People's Daily launches special column to boost human rights education
People’s Daily, January 17, 2005
People’s Daily, a state newspaper, starts to run a column focusing on human rights education since mid January to increase public awareness on human rights issues in China.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200501/17/eng20050117_170886.html

Labour – work safety and conditions
Watchdog vows to cut workplace fatalities
Xinhuanet.com, January 18, 2005
Work Safety bureau targets dangerous occupations and sectors such as mining and road traffic to improve work safety conditions and reduce fatal accidents.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/18/content_2474376.htm

Political Dissidents

Dissidents under surveillance after death of ousted Chinese leader Zhao
AFP, 18 January 2005
Dissidents and civil rights campaigners said Tuesday the government is watching them more closely after the death of deposed Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang, preventing them from holding commemorative activities.
www.afp.com

Help China's prisoners of conscience
SCMP, 18 January 2005
Tomorrow, Chinese pro-democracy activist and US permanent resident Yang Jianli will be spending his 1,000th day in detention in a Beijing prison.
www.scmp.com

Uighur writer in China arrested for a short story advocating independence
AFP, 18 January 2005
Nurmehemmet Yasin was detained by state security agents in November after he published in the review "Literature in Kashgar", a short story entitled "The Blue Pigeon" advocating independence for Uighurs.
www.afp.com

Public health
Beijing attempts to draft nutrition law as anxiety grows on Chinese’s nutrition conditions
我国居民营养问题日益突出 政府酝酿营养立法
EastDay.com, January 18, 2005
The government considers promulgating regulation on nutrition to ease the worsening nutrition conditions of the general public
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/node
37979/node47160/userobject1ai804356.html

Resettlement – protests
Police detain housing protesters
SCMP, January 18, 2005
Shanghai police detailed dozens of protesting over housing compensation outside the city’s legislative building yesterday.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZ8LH8HJ3E.html