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, July 19, 2005

July 19, 2005

Top news of the day

Protests and Petitions
Retaliatory Detentions of Shanghai Petitioners
Human Rights in China Press Release, 19/07/2005
Shanghai police reportedly detained some Shanghai active petitioners, who had urged for the early release of detained petitioner Xu Zhengqing (徐正清) on June 28, for over 10 days. Some of the detained petitioners were charged with "disturbing public order".
http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/press?revision%5fid=
23671&item%5fid=23669

State Security - State secrets
Two Experts In China Dispute Bird-Flu Risks
Asian Wall Street Journal, 19/07/2005
Senior Ministry of Agriculture official rejected research finding of Dr Guan Yi (管軼), a prominent flu scientist from University of Hong Kong, that suggested a continuing avian flu outbreak in western China originated in the country's south. Dr Guan's laboratory in Shantou was ordered to stop the bird flu research.
http://online.wsj.com/search/aggregate#SB112163484429687736





News

Bilaterals - Other
Six-party talks to restart on July 26: FM spokesman
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://english1.people.com.cn/200507/19/text20050719_197023.html

China, Vietnam vow to further good-neighborly relations
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://english1.people.com.cn/200507/19/text20050719_196838.html

Japan court rejects germ war compensation
China Daily, July 19, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/19/content_461471.htm

China, Sudan militaries to increase exchanges
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/19/content_3240753.htm

Children - Children trafficking
Police crackdown on a baby trafficking ring in Henan province
河南省捣破贩卖婴儿集团
Dajiyuan.com, 18/07/2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/7/18/n989706.htm

Death Penalty
Former township party secretary in Yunan Baoshan city sentenced to death for killing mistress
云南昌宁县原县委书记杨国瞿杀害情人被判死刑
EastDay.com, 19/07/2005
http://china.eastday.com/eastday/news/node37955/node37957/
node37979/node74728/userobject1

Sichuan men sentenced to death for killing wife to get insurance claims
精心设计车祸杀妻骗保 狠丈夫杨爱平被判死刑
Chinesenewsnet.com, 19/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/xhw_2005_07_18_06_55_13

Environment - Disasters
Typhoon Haitang Slams Into Mainland China
AP, July 19, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050719/ap_on_re_as/asia_typhoon_8

Environment - Natural Resources
Beijing sends workers on leave to save power
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/19/content_461478.htm

Food Security
Consumers have low confidence in food safety
China Daily, 19/07/2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/19/content
_461401.htm

Government - Elections
China puts democracy to test
Financial Times, 19/07/2005
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/05b45e9e-f7e4-11d9-9f64-00000
e2511c8.html

Government – Governance and accountability / Corruption
Return to the bad old days
SCMP, 19/07/2005
http://focus.scmp.com/focusnews/ZZZ1YTC2ABE.html

Why most NPC representatives oppose to be accountable to their constituency?
半数人大代表反对述职的背后
China Youth Daily, 19/07/2005
http://zqb.cyol.com/gb/zqb/2005-07/19/content_33696.htm

Labor - Disasters
Coal Mine Blast Traps 19 in Shaanxi
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://china.org.cn/english/China/135419.htm#

Labor - Disputes
Building Companies Ignore Midday Work Ban
Shenzhen Daily, July 19, 2005
http://china.org.cn/english/China/135420.htm#

Law
Convenience store compensates girl 100,000 yuan for shoplifting accusation and unjustified body search
便利店无端搜身 一少女精神受损获赔10万元
Chinesenewsnet.com, 19/07/2005
http://legal.people.com.cn/GB/42732/3550873.html

Law – legal reform
Supreme People's Court set sail on judicial reform
人民法院司法改革主要任务确定
Legal Daily, 19/07/2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-07/19/content_169
453.htm

Supreme People's Court to issue judicial interpretation of trying juvenile delinquency cases
审未成年人刑案司法解释将出台
Legal Daily, 19/07/2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-07/19/content_169
477.htm

China to revise Criminal Procedural Law for preventing confessions by torture
People's Daily, 18/07/2005
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200507/18/eng20050718_
196782.html

Migrant Workers - Migrant children
How to regulate schools for migrant worker's children?
民工子弟学校怎样更加规范
Legal Daily, 19/07/2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/bm/2005-07/19/content_169488.htm

Protests and Petitions
Agricultural department hires petition investigators to deal with increasing complaints on violations of peasants’ rights
农业部信访督查督办 坚决纠正损害农民权益问题
Chinesenewsnet.com, 18/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/Main
land/zxs_2005-07-

Violent protest by farmers forces shutdown of pharmaceutical plant
AP, July 19, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZBOUI2ABE.html

Public Health
China's five-star clinics offer health for wealth
Asia Times Online, 19/07/2005
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/GG19Ad02.html

China to combat growing obesity problem with new nutritional standards
YahooNews.com (Asia Section), 18/07/2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050718/hl_
afp/healthchinaobsesity_050718213

China Has Not Shared Crucial Data On Bird Flu Outbreaks, Officials Say
Washington Post Foreign Service, July 19, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/18/AR2005071801584_pf.html

Reforms - Elections
China puts democracy to test
Financial Times, July 19, 2005
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/05b45e9e-f7e4-11d9-9f64-00000e2511c8.html

Reforms - Military
PLA gets transparent shopping list
China Daily, July 19, 2005
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/19/content_461222.htm

Reforms - Social
Coverage of China's social security further enlarged: ministry
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/19/content_3240401.htm

Religion - Falun Gong
Late-Term Abortion Forced on Falun Gong Practitioner
The Epoch Times, July 19, 2005
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-7-19/30401.html

Rural Issues - Poverty
Farmers in eastern China live better life
Xinhua, July 19, 2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/19/content_3238980.htm

Tibet
Beijing pledge on next Dalai Lama
SCMP, 19/07/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZUKTI2ABE.html