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, July 20, 2005

July 20, 2005

Top news of the day

Media - Press freedom/censorship
BBC Beijing reporter, cameraman briefly detained, searched
YahooNews.com (Asia Section), 19/07/2005
BBC correspondent in Beijing, Bessie Du, and her Japanese camera man were reportedly strip-searched and detained for four hours by police outside Beijing after they had interviewed a group of landless farmers near Dingzhou city.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050719/kyodo/d8beeeng1.html

Protests and Petitions
Anger in China Rises Over Threat to Environment
New York Times, 20/07/2005
Xinchang government in Zhejiang province deployed dozens of busloads of police officers to clamp down as many as 15,000 angry protesters who staged protest against a pharmaceuticals plant allegedly causing severe pollution in their village.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/international/asia/19
china.html?



Protesters in China get angrier and bolder
The New York Times, July 20, 2005
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/07/19/news/china.php

Angry farmers force factory to close
AP, July 20, 2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZA9YC2ABE.html

News

Bilaterals - US/China

US does not consider China a threat: White House
AFP, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050720/
pl_afp/uschinamilitary_050720142205

China blasts U.S. concerns on its military rise
Reuters, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050720/ts_nm/china_usa_reaction_dc_1

Pentagon Says China Seeks to Extend Military Reach
Los Angeles Times, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/200507
20/ts_latimes/pentagonsayschinaseekstoextendmilitaryreach

Bilaterals - Other
Chen's pitch to Congress may fuel row with China
Sydney Morning Herald, July 20, 2005
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/chens-pitch-to-congress
-may-fuel-row-with-china/2005/07/19/1121538975641.html?o
neclick=true

China to Japan: Be honest about germ warfare
Reuters, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050720/
wl_nm/china_japan_dc_2

Death Penalty
Courts urged to be cautious in death penalty rulings
最高人民法院要求严把“死刑”关
Chinesenewsnet.com, 20/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/
Mainland/xhw_2005_07_19_20_25_07

Serial rapist sentenced to death by Anhui Court
安徽界首：骗奸多名女生被告人一审被判死刑
Chinesenewsnet.com, 20/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/
Mainland/xhw_2005_07_19_22_55_09

Environment - Natural Resources
Unocal accepts Chevron, rejects China suitor
AFP, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/200507
20/ts_alt_afp/uschinaoilcompany_050720142731

Human Rights - Bilateral ties
Chen to address US committee on China rights abuses
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 19/07/2005
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1417786.htm

Labor - Disasters
Death toll from Tongchuan coal mine blast rises to 20
Xinhua, July 20, 2005
http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/20/content
_461856.htm

Miners Saved from Collapsed Coal Mine in Jilin
Xinhua, July 20, 2005
http://china.org.cn/english/China/135545.htm

Labor - Employment market and income
Graduates kept on file to improve jobless rate
SCMP, 20/07/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZRHYC2ABE.html

Registered jobless rate unchanged at 4.2%
Xinhuanet.com, 20/07/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/20/content_324
1829.htm

Law
Hubei Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs issues public statement to conclude lessons learned in She Xianglin’s wrongful conviction case
荆门首次公开总结佘祥林案教训 主观原因多于客观
Chinesenewsnet.com, 20/07/2005
http://www1.chinesenewsnet.com/gb/MainNews/SinoNews/
Mainland/xhw_2005_07_19_04_55_21

Law - Legal profession
Beijing: three types of judicial mistakes to be marked in judges' performance record
北京：三类司法不当将被记入档案
Xinhuanet.com, 20/07/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2005-07/20/content_
3241547.htm

New regulations strive to strengthen lawyers' rights in doing their job
律师维权探索立法应予借鉴
Legal Daily, 20/07/2005
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/misc/2005-07/20/content_1702
95.htm

Law – Legal rights
Court to be punished if rejects materials for filing case
北京：法院拒收诉讼材料将受罚
Xinhuanet.com, 20/07/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2005-07/20/content_
3241560.htm

Media – Press freedom
Journalists too willing to write fake stories for cash, seminar told
SCMP, 20/07/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZIFWI2ABE.html

Media - Internet
China censors weave sophisticated Web to trap dissenters
SCMP, 20/07/2005
http://focus.scmp.com/focusnews/ZZZERVI2ABE.html

China's Evolving Blogosphere
Asia Pacific Media Network, 19/07/2005
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=26947

China's Censored Online Market Booms as India's Lags (Update1)
Bloomberg, July 20, 2005
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=aV5
bHxBfTio0

Google grabs top Microsoft exec for China lab
The National Business Review, July 20, 2005
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=12462&cid
=3&cname=Technology

Olympics
China adds four cities to 2008 Olympic hosting roster
Reuters, July 20, 2005
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=world
News&storyID=2005-07-20T023246Z_01_MOR009156_RTR
UKOC_0_OLYMPICS-CHINA-VENUES.xml

Protests and Petitions
Henan government strengthens accountability mechanism to facilitate ‘receiving complaining letters campaign’
河南通过强化责任追究 促进公安信访问题解决
Xinhuanet.com, 20/07/2005
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2005-07/20/content_
3242448.htm

Public Health
Health care beyond reach of many in Guangdong, survey shows
SCMP, 20/07/2005
http://china.scmp.com/chitoday/ZZZW8YC2ABE.html

UN, NGOs say China must do more to help children affected by HIV/AIDS
AFP, July 20, 2005
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/200507
20/hl_afp/healthaidschina_050720102913

Resettlement - Forceful eviction
Fuzhou farmer petitioners charged "distribution social order" after suing local government over land disputes
福州状告地方政府的农民代表被判刑
Dajiyuan.com, 19/07/2005
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/5/7/19/n990878.htm

Women - Women's Rights
Open Debate on Women's Rights
China Daily, July 20, 2005
http://china.org.cn/english/China/135549.htm