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.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

February 16, 2005

Top news of the day

Media – press freedom / industrial accident (Fuxin blast)
Reporters discouraged from reporting Fuxin coal mine tragedy
辽宁煤矿灾变灾情惨 记者称当局封锁新闻
Dajiyuan.com, February 16, 2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/2/15/n813162.htm


News

Children - adoption
Chinese parents challenge 'biased' US custody ruling
SCMP, February 16, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZSD29585E.html

Corruption
415 corrupt party officials published in 2004, 15 in high-ranking positions
去年15名省(部)级415名厅级干部受党纪政纪处分
Chinesenewsnet.com, February 16, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/cna_2005_02_16_00_38_02_848.html

More than 150,000 corrupt Communist Party members disciplined in 2004
ASSOCIATED PRESS, February 16, 2005
China’s Communist Party disciplined more than 150,000 corrupt party members in 2004 and uncovered more than US$300 million (HK$2.34 billion) in misused public funds, the government said on Wednesday.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ6839585E.html

Detention – Zhang Lin (張林)
RSF urges China to release freelance writer Zhang Lin (張林)
记者无国界呼吁中国立即释放张林
Radio Free Asia, February 15, 2005
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/xinwen/2005/02/15/zhanglin/

Disaster / Xinjiang
Xinjiang hit by quake but gets off lightly
SCMP, February 16, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZKD29585E.html

Education
Education Bureau sacks 30,000 unqualified staff last year
全国各级教育部门去年调离辞退近3万不合格人员
EastDay.com, February 16, 2005
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/
node37979/node50198/userobject1ai866153.html

Hong Kong - rights
Hong Kong labours over minimum wage debate: High unemployment has prompted the city's legislators to review legal protections for low-paid workers
Financial Times, 15 February 2005
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e575fb4a-7ef5-11d9-9c86-00000e2511c8.html

June 4th – EU arms ban
France pushes case to lift China arms embargo despite US fears: minister
AFP via YahooNew.com, February 16, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050216/wl_
afp/euchinaarmsembargofranceus_050216064317

US lobbying may limit future EU arms sales
SCMP, February 16, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZ24RJ985E.html

Land policy
Researcher says privatization of land the key to resolve existing rural issues
中国国情研究中心主任蒯辙：中国土地私有化解决三农问题
Chinesenewsnet.com, February 16, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SocDigest/Econo
my/2005_2_15_20_21_36_975.html

Labour – industrial accidents
China accounts for 80pc of coal-mine deaths
SCMP, February 16, 2005
State Administration of Work Safety figures show China accounts for some 80 per cent of the world’s coal mining deaths — despite producing just 35 per cent of the world's coal.
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZX439585E.html

China Mine Blast Kills 209; Six Missing
AP via YahooNew.com, February 16, 2005
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&ncid=73
1&e=10&u=/ap/20050216/ap_on_re_as/china_mine_explosion


Smouldering fire hinders investigation in Shaanxi
SCMP, February 16, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZI5RJ985E.html

Law – legal profession
7 major imbalances of the lawyer industry
律师职业存在七大不平衡
Legal Daily, February 16, 2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-02/16/content_1869
80.htm

Law – legal reform
A key issue of legal reform 2005: jurors and judges – balance of power in court
陪审员与法官同权 中国司法改革2005年亮点频现
Chinesenewsnet.com, February 16, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/zxs_2005-02-16_540009.shtml

Media - regulations
China announces new regulations on press cards
Xinhua News Agency, 16 February 2005
by Quan Xiaoshu BEIJING, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's new media regulations, concerning the press cards, will go into effect on March 1, the General Administration of Press and Publication, the country's press watchdog, said here Wednesday. ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/16/content_2585201.htm

Police – administrative detention (Alex Ho 何偉途)
Case against Alex Ho 'clear enough'
SCMP, February 16, 2005
http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZKPII985E.html

Politics – NPC
NPC meetings not more than 10 days despite many controversial issues to discuss
「兩會」會期不超過10天
WenWeiPo, February 16, 2005
http://www.wenweipo.com/news.phtml?news_id=CH05021600
20&cat=002CH

Public health – HIV aids
Shanxi Aids patients form self-help community
山西建艾滋病人生产自救区
BeijingNews.com, February 16, 2005
http://www.thebeijingnews.com/news/2005-2-16/9@0838.html

China releases infectious disease data
Big News Network, 16th February, 2005 (UPI)
China's Ministry of Health said Wednesday that 382 people had died nationwide of infectious diseases during January 2005.
http://story.chinanationalnews.com/p.x/ct/9/id/40bc78bea5159d10/cid/9366300fc9319e9b/
Rural issues - poverty
SCHOLARS IN FIGHT TO HELP THE POOR GET RICHER
China Daily, 16 February 2005
Tax dodgers beware the government could be on to you soon. Chinese researchers are urging officials to crack down on those who collect the spoils of the economic boom but give nothing back to society in return.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/16/content_416654.htm

Tibet
The controversy over China’s increasing investment in Tibet (part I)
中国扩大对西藏投资惹争议(1)
Voice of America, February 15, 2005
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2005-02-15-voa70.cfm

Hong Kong – election
Referendum in HK feasible but should proceed with caution, says Hong Kong scholar
香港学者：举行全民投票可行但宜小心运作
Chinesenewsnet.com, February 16, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Mainl
and/cna_2005_02_16_00_38_02_848.html