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Women drug gang convicted, death, life sentences given
2004-01-18 China Daily
The Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court Sunday respectively
sentenced one woman to death and another to life in prison for
drug trafficking. Police also confiscated 13.2 kilograms of
heroin from the two, the largest amount taken in a single case
in Beijing history. Last June, ironically on the International
Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Beijing police
received a tip from their Gansu colleagues about a drug-trafficking
channel between Beijing and the Northwest province of Gansu.
After a week long investigation, police arrested the suspects
Ma Xiuqin, 31, and Zhang Ganiang, 32 ( ) According to the Criminal
Law, people who produce or sell more than 50 grams of heroin
may be sentenced to 15 years, life in prison or can be given
the death penalty. The judge's ruled that Ma will die. Zhang
has received a life sentence. It is still unknown whether Ma's
former boss has been caught,according to the Xinhua news service.
China declassifies first diplomatic files
2004-01-19 Xinhua News
China has declassified its first batch of diplomatic files after
the founding of new China in 1949, including manuscripts of
Premier Zhou Enlai, said an official withthe Chinese Foreign
Ministry here Monday. The first 10,000 items opened to the public
were mainly on China's diplomacy between 1949 and 1955, said
Zhang Sulin, an official with the ministry's archives. The declassified
documents showcased the formation of China's diplomatic relations,
such as telegraphs on the establishment of diplomatic relations
between China and the Soviet Union and East European countries,
directives and speeches drafted by Premier Zhou, then also foreign
minister, documents on Geneva and Asia-Africa conferences, and
files and materials on consular, protocol and legal affairs,
Zhang said. According to China's Archives Law and relevant regulations,
historical files should be open to the public 30 years after
formation. "Archives should serve the state interests and
the public," said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.
All interested in the files, including Chinese citizens and
organizations and individuals and organizations from overseas,
must first apply to the Foreign Ministry's Archives some 20
work days in advance, Zhang said. ( )
One-third of Chinese rural laborers work in non-farming
fields
2004-01-19 Xinhua News
More than one third of China's rural laborers now work in non-agricultural
fields, following the country's speedy urbanization progress
and industrial shift in rural areas, according to official sources.
The latest statistics show that 52.6 percent of workers in the
country's catering industry and retail industry are from rural
areas, while 68.2 percent of workers in manufacturing industries
and 79.8 percent of the country's construction workers are also
from rural areas. Previously, farmers sought temporary jobs
in the city, leaving their family in their hometown, but today
many workers from rural areas, or migrant workers, bring their
whole family to urban areas after finding a stable job there.
The central authorities have required local governments of urban
areas to treat migrant workers fairly, lift employment restrictions
on them and protect their legal rights and interests.
Premierminister Wen fordert eine ausgeglichene Politik zwischen
Reform, Progress und Stabilität
2004-01-19 Xinhua Wang (Übersetzung)
Wen Jiabao hat eine politische Umsetzung von Reform, Fortschritt
und Stabilität im Lande gefordert. Auf einer Sitzung des
Staatsrates forderte er am Sonntag in Beijing zugleich die Regierungen
aller Ebenen auf, den praktischen Problemen der Bevölkerung
große Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken. Das Jahr 2004 werde
eine wichtige Zeit für Reform und Entwicklung Chinas sein.
Dabei müsse sich die chinesische Regierung immer bewusst
sein, das materielle und kulturelle Lebensniveau der Bevölkerung
zu verbessern und die Gesundheit der Menschen zu erhalten, so
Wen Jiabao weiter. ( )
Migrant farmer workers recover 90 percent of overdue wages
2004-01-19 Xinhua News
Employers across the country have paid out approximately 14.8
billion yuan (about 1.79 billion US dollars) inoverdue wages
to migrant farmer workers, over 90 percent of 16 billion yuan
(1.93 billion US dollars) owed in 2003, the Ministry of Construction
announced Monday. The ministry said governments and departments
at all levels across the country must make the recovery of overdue
pay a priority in the run-up to the Chinese lunar new year,
which falls on Jan. 22,. Employers have paid 22.89 billion yuan
(2.76 billion US dollars)in overdue payment to migrant workers
and construction teams in the past two months, or about 72.3
percent of the total accumulated. In Beijing, migrant workers
were owed 7.35 billion yuan (885.5 million US dollars) in 2003,
and so far, nearly all the arrears have been paid.
New regulations issued to ensure safe production
2004-01-19 Xinhua News
China has promulgated new industrial safety regulations, with
all mines, construction firms and producers of hazardous chemicals,
fireworks and civilian explosives across the country required
to first obtain a "safe production license". The Regulations
on Licenses for Safe Production, adopted by the State Council
at its 34th executive meeting on Jan. 7, took effect from Jan.
13. The new regulations aim at promoting industrial safety in
minesand enterprises related to construction, hazardous chemicals,
fireworks and civilian explosives. "Those enterprises which
fail to meet the requirements for safe production that can not
get a license are not allowed to continue with their production
activities," the regulations stipulate. According to the
regulations, any enterprise that produces without a license
or in violation of the regulations will be ordered to halt operation
immediately, fined for 50,000 yuan (6,045.9 US dollars) to 100,000
yuan (12,091.9 US dollars), and even subject to criminal penalties
if major accidents have occurred. ( )
Private property to be given clear constitutional protection
2004-01-19 Shanghai Daily
China's constitution is likely to be amended in March with the
inclusion of the sentence: "Lawful private property is
not to be violated." It means that private property would
be on an equal footing with public property. From the newly
wealthy to those less fortunate, the amendment is going to affect
the lives of almost every Chinese citizen. The draft amendment
to improve the protection of lawful private property and the
promotion of the private economy has been hailed by private
entrepreneurs, who have accumulated wealth in the past two decades.
The present constitution clearly states: "Socialist public
property is inviolable," while using more ambiguous words
in reference to private property. The constitution says the
state protects the right of citizens to own lawfully earned
income, savings, homes and other lawful property and protects
the right of citizens to inherit private property. "The
present constitution does not include a few items of private
property, such as means of production, non-work-related income
and intellectual property, to be protected," said Tang
Haibin, director of the Research Department of All-China Federation
of Industry and Commerce. The state has the right to expropriate
or collect private property in line with laws in the public
interest, but has to compensate owners, under the draft amendment.
Tang said the draft amendment set up a critical rule to curb
public power and guarantee private owners compensation if they
suffer losses in the public interest."The draft amendment
will eliminate entrepreneurs' worries about the security of
their assets and boost confidence in long-term investment,"
Tang said. The proposed amendment is hailed not only by the
wealthy elite, but also by ordinary citizens who feel they have
suffered injustices. "We are not always so confident in
representing private clients as sometimes judges lean toward
the public party," said Liu Weiping, a Shanghai-based real
estate lawyer, who has represented individuals in cases of illegal
demolition of homes by some local governments and developers.
Family plan laws updated
2004-01-19 Shanghai Daily
Rules better protect couples' privacy
A new family planning regulation will allow local couples to
apply to have a second child without getting approval from their
employers or neighborhood committees, city health officials
announced yesterday.The new Population and Family Planning Regulation
will go into effect on April 15. While most couples in the city
are only allowed to have one child, some, such as both husband
and wife come from a single-child family, are allowed to have
a second child after receiving permission from their district
government. Currently, couples must provide a letter from their
employers certifying they only have one child. If both husband
and wife are unemployed they must provide a letter from their
neighborhood committee. ( ) Anyone who deliberately gives false
information while applying to have a second child will be seriously
punished, said Xie Lingli, director of the population commission.He
said punishments still haven't been worked out, but will likely
involve a fine, and the city could pass on information to local
credit rating services, making it tough for the offenders to
get a bank loan.
The new regulation will also spare companies any punishment
if one of their employees breaks the one-child policy. Currently,
companies can't be named a model unit if their employees break
the rule - a punishment that reflects poorly on a company's
managers.The new rule will, however, allow couples who break
the one-child policy to receive a 50 percent reimbursement from
the city's social security fund on medical bills related to
the pregnancy and delivery. Previously, those couples had to
pay all medical bills by themselves. The new rule also erases
the mandatory four-year waiting period between the first and
second child to avoid a baby boom, which is expected to fall
since 2006.
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