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, June 22, 2005

June 22, 2005

Top news of the day

Detention – Zhang Lin (張林)
Airing views not a crime, says lawyer for activist
SCMP, June 22, 2005
Dissident writer Zhang Lin (張林), pleaded not guilty to a charge of “subversion of state power and the overthrow of the socialist system” in the second instance of court trial in Anhui yesterday. He insisted that posting articles on the internet should be respected and protected as freedom of speech was a basic human right and by no means constituted a crime.
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZHBLP73AE.html






News

Bilaterals - EU/China
China regrets EU decision on arms sales ban
Xinhua News Agency, June 22, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/22/cont
ent_453380.htm


Bilaterals - Other
President Hu: China to work with ROK to promote bilateral relations
Xinhuanet, June 22, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-06/22/content_31214
80.htm


Chinese defector breaks down, fears return to China
Reuters, June 22, 2005
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=world
News&storyID=2005-06-22T085455Z_01_HO232082_RTRU
KOC_0_AUSTRALIA-CHINA.xml

A former Chinese diplomat seeking asylum in Australia broke down and cried at a news conference in Sydney on Wednesday.

A spy in the ointment
SCMP, June 22, 2005
http://focus.scmp.com/focusnews/ZZZ3TDKF4AE.html
Chin Jin claims he is a marked man. His home telephone is tapped, his mobile is constantly monitored, and his computer is routinely hacked into and bombarded with strange viruses.

Children - Abuse
Rape in China: A Nightmare for 26 Pupils
The New York Time, June 21, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/international/asia/21ch
ina.html?hp&ex=1119412800&en=ce5
ff187e91cefbc&ei=5094&partne r=homepage


Corruption / Law
Zero tolerance to official's dereliction of duty
Xinhuanet.com, June 22, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-06/21/content_3115
547.htm


Death penalty
Vice president of Yuana High Court: death penalty is the most effective deterrent to drug offences, death penalty review would only undermine government’s efforts in curbing crimes
专访:刑罚禁毒最有力 收回死刑复核权影响效果
Xinhuanet.com, June 22, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2005-06/22/content_31181
97.htm


Detention – Ching Cheong (程翔)
Wife of Ching Cheong plead the new Chief Executive to pass a petition letter to Beijing leaders
程翔妻请新特首到北京转交信函
Voice of America, June 21, 2005
http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2005-06-21-voa15.cfm

Disaster
Flooding leaves 21 dead, millions displaced
SCMP, June 22, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZRIFKF4AE.html

Environment-Water
Pearl River estuary seriously polluted
China Daily, June 22, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/22/content
_453565.htm


Severe pollution blights China's Pearl River Delta
AFP, June 22, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050622/sc_afp/chinaenvironmentriver_05
0622115821


Gender
Building a girl-caring society
Xinhuanet.com, June 22, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-06/22/content_31171
47.htm


Government – Governance and accountability
China to launch large-scale campaign to ‘check’ village official disciplines
中国将大规模督查村官违法违纪 为近年来首次
Chinesenewsnet.com, June 22, 2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/zxs_2005-06-22_589484.shtml


Government - Elections
An Unusual Sort of Democracy
Washington Post, June 20, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2005/06/19/AR2005061900730.html


Hong Kong
Major rally planned to denounce CE selection
AFP, June 22, 2005
http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZDNX5F4AE.html

Human rights
Dissident mainland writers given Hong Kong Human Rights Journalist Awards
大陆作家获香港人权新闻奖 中国民主受关注
Dajiyuan.com, June 21, 2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/6/21/n961149.htm

Labour-Industrial accidents
Hundred workers injured in arsenal explosion in Shanxi
山 西 兵 工 廠 大 爆 炸 傷 者 逾 百
Apple Daily, June 22, 2005
http://appledaily.atnext.com/template/apple/art_main.cfm?sec_
id=15335&showdate=20050622&art_id=4990319


Land policy
Supreme People’s Court issue judicial interpretations on land use disputes
最高法院出台国有土地使用权合同纠纷司法解释
EastDay.com, June 21, 2005
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/
node37979/node69348/userobject1ai1198622.html


Multilaterals
Pakistan, China criticise Security Council hopefuls
Expatica, June 22, 2005
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52&story_id=21307&name=Pakistan%2C+China+criticise+Security+Council+hopefuls

Olympics
EU, China in closer cooperation to promote digital Olympics
Xinhua News Agency, June 22, 2005
http://english.people.com.cn/200506/22/eng20050622_191
734.html


Population – one-child policy
Save the baby girls! Baby girls trafficking runs rampant in China
救救女婴!——大陆贩卖女婴猖獗
Boxun.com, June 22, 2005
http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2005/06/2005062
12257.shtml


Public health
Revisiting government’s role in public healthcare reform
重新思考政府在医改中的作用
China Youth Daily, June 22, 2005
http://zqb.cyol.com/gb/zqb/2005-06/22/content_21437.htm

Hospital ownership on reform proposals
Xinhuanet.com, June 22, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-06/22/content_311
8080.htm


UN warns of serious consequences if China does not stop misuse of flu drug
AFX News Limited, June 22, 2005
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/06/22/afx21
05156.html


China reports new foot-and-mouth disease outbreak - UN
AFX News Limited, June 22, 2005
http://www.forbes.com/work/feeds/afx/2005/06/22/afx21050
52.html


Rural Issues - Poverty
World Bank, Britain aids south China's poverty reduction project
Xinhua, June 22, 2005
http://english.people.com.cn/200506/22/eng20050622_1917
43.html


Three Gorges
Three Gorges project reports 55.79-million-yuan problematic fund
People’s Daily, June 22, 2005
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200506/22/eng20050622_
191591.html