Thursday, March 19, 2009

March 19, 2009

Top News

Law
Beijing Human Rights Law Firm Shut Down
Agence France-Presse (available at YahooNews), March 19, 2009
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090319/wl_asia_afp/chinarightslaw

Yitong, a Beijing law firm known for taking on sensitive cases, was ordered to shut down for six months on Tuesday, purportedly for allowing one of its lawyers to practice without a license. Lawyers at the firm believe the real reason for the shutdown is the participation of several of the firm’s lawyers in an effort to institute a direct election in the Beijing Lawyers Association.

Related Information
Beijing Law Firm Yitong is Shut Down for Six Months; Staff Lawyers Ordered to Turn in Licenses
Human Rights in China, March 18, 2009
http://hrichina.org/public/contents/145101

News

Disasters
Chart May Hold Clues to Flaws in Quake Schools
South China Morning Post, March 19, 2009
http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0
a0/?vgnextoid=405bf1a0f7a10210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD

Food Security
300 students hit by food poisoning
Shanghai Daily, March 19, 2009
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=394778

Fifteen Arrested for Selling Pigs Fed Banned Additives
Xinhua (via China Daily), March 18, 2009
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/18/content_7592915.htm

Government
China Tells Officials to Cut Spending on Foreign Trips
China Post, March 19, 2009
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national-news/2009/03/19/200734/China-tells.htm

吉林省建立监管立体责任制度 (Jilin Establishes Supervision System to Monitor Stimulus Money Usage)
Xinhuanet, March 19, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2009-03/19/content_11034936.htm

June 4th
Soldier's Story a New Look at Tiananmen Crackdown
Associated Press (available at YahooNews), March 19, 2009
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090319/ap_on_re_as/as_china_crackdown_veteran

Land Policy
浙江出台农村土地经营权流转新规定 (Zhejiang Releases New Regulations for Transfer of Land Use Rights)
Radio Free Asia, March 18, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/tudi-03182009103425.html

Media
“围堵山西省委大楼”违法帖子发布者被行政拘留 (Man Detained for Posting Fake News of Demonstration in Shanxi)
Xinhuanet, March 18, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/legal/2009-03/18/content_11031849.htm

Police
2 Teen Inmates Die in Custody
Shanghai Daily, March 19, 2009
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200903/20090319/article_394752.htm

Protests and Petitions
再见!宣传与谎言 (30 Scholars, Lawyers, and Artists Issue Open Letter Bidding "Farewell to Propaganda and Lies”)
Radio France Internationale, March 18, 2009
http://www.rfi.fr/actucn/articles/111/article_12702.asp

津沪两市逾千原新疆建设兵团人员示威请愿 (Former Employees of Xinjiang Construction Corp Protest for Adequate Compensation in Old Age)
Radio Free Asia, March 18, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/qingyuan-03182009151446.html

中国信访问题系列调查: 上访的代价 (The Costs of Petitioning)
Radio Free Asia, March 18, 2009
http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/xinfang3-03182009101925.html

Public Health
新疆再發現假糖尿病藥 (More Fake Diabetes Medication Discovered in Xinjiang)
Ming Pao, March 19, 2009
http://www.mpinews.com/htm/INews/20090319/ca41025i.htm