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.

Monday, March 21, 2005

March 19-21, 2005

Top news of the day

Detention – Zhang Lin (張林)
Chinese Dissident Charged With Subversion
AP via YahooNews.com, March 19, 2005
Political dissident Zhang Lin is formally charged with “Conspiring to Subvert state power” by Bengbu, Anhui last Saturday after being detained for about two months for attending the memorial service of Zhao Ziyang.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&n
cid=731&e=10&u=/ap/20050319/ap_on_re_as/china_dissident
_charged

Media – internet
Non-students barred from chat room
SCMP, March 21, 2005
Students at Tsinghua University staged a protest at campus blaming the announcement of an unreasonable regulation that aims to block outside access to a popular student chat room “Shuimu”.
http://china.scmp.com/chitech/ZZZU7AE456E.html


News

Corruption
To tighten the loopholes of laws against corruption
堵住公款行賄的法律漏洞
Legal Daily, 21 March, 2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/zb/2005-03/01/content_1910
67.htm

Child – child labour / labour – industrial accidents
Investigation of child labour death in Hebei
“老板闷死女童工”传言溯源
Nanfang Weekend, March 17, 2005
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/zm/20050317/xw/dcgc/2005
03170013.asp

Death penalty
To replace “death penalty with immediate effect” with “suspended death penalty”
以“死缓”替代“死刑立即执行”
Nanfang Weekend, March 17, 2005
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/zm/20050317/xw/fz/200503
170015.asp

Government- Election
Farmers to choose villages’ committees
Xinhaunet.com, March 21, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/21/content_2722
602.htm

June 4th – EU arms ban
EU plan to lift arms ban hits snag
SCMP, March 21, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZACKF456E.html

Labour
Increasing conflicts between management and labour reveals inadequacy of Labour Law
劳动争议增多凸显法律空白
LegalDaily.com, 21 March, 2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/zl/2004-12/16/content_1684
27.htm

Labour – industrial accidents
Death toll from gas blast at coal mines reaches 60
SCMP, March 21, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZF3FE456E.html

Labour- Protest
5000 Guangdong workers protest against employer for covering up infectious disease in the work place, says China Labour Watch
中国劳工观察：无耻资本家隐瞒尘肺病，广东五千工人集体罢工
Chinesenewnet.com, March 18, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/
Mainland/2005_3_19_8_42_52_406.html

Police – Reeducation through labour (RTL)
Critics take shine off boot-camp reforms
SCMP, March 21, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZ85FE456E.html

Protests and petitions
Hundreds protest after ticket chaos at job fair
SCMP, March 21, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZB3FE456E.html

Public health
Guangdong hospitals to aid poor patients
Xinhuanet.com, March 21, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/21/content_2723
319.htm

Public health – HIV Aids
Lack of information hinders fight against Aids
SCMP, March 19, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZSCCE456E.html

HIV/AIDS proposals announced for 2005
Xinhuanet.com, March 19, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/19/content_27163
55.htm

Jiangsu tests former blood-sellers for HIV
ChinaDaily.com, March 21, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-03/21/content_
426797.htm

Religion
China Tighten the screws on religion-Believers continues to face tough restriction
Zenit news agency via China Digital News, March 19, 2005
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=68037

Xinjiang
Put rights before profit, says dissident
SCMP, March 21, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZLPEE456E.html

Hong Kong
Hong Kong government says mistaken on leadership term
AFP via YahooNews.com, March 21, 2005
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1530&amp
;ncid=731&e=1&u=/afp/20050321/wl_asia_afp/hongkongchinap
olitics