Officials Reluctant to Withdraw Coal Mine Investments
[Central News Agency, September 23, 2005] According to a directive issued by the Chinese government, September 22 was the last day for government officials or heads of state-run companies to withdraw any investments made in China’s coal mines. According to Li Yizhong, Director of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), those who do not withdraw their shares within the time limit, and are discovered, will lose their positions and receive the maximum penalty allowed by law. As reported by Xinhuanet, SAWS believes that a key reason for the poor safety records of China’s coal mines is the investments of these officials, who then openly or secretly protect mine owners who are in violation of regulations, preventing mines that don’t meet safety requirements from suspending production or closing.
Illegal Drugs Flood China, Finding New Markets
[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In the past year, due to the increased supplies of illegal drugs on an international level, the illegal activity in China surrounding new types of drugs has become increasingly serious, causing an uptrend in the making, selling, and use of illegal drugs. These new types of drugs not only attract unemployed youth, but have also spread throughout society to company personnel, actors, university students, and civil servants.
Chinese Soldiers Appeal for Their Rights
[The Epoch Times, September 28, 2005] On April 11, 2005, 1600 people — officers of the army, navy, air force, army security forces, missile artillery, military veterans, and families of deceased veterans — protested outside the appeal office of the Central Military Commission. Eighteen representatives of the protesters met with staff of the appeal office to report their concerns about mistakes in the government’s "Number One Document of 1993," and the problems of treatment and status of retired military cadres. The protestors requested that the government restore the social status of and provide for these retired officials. They also reviewed the course of appeals they have made about this issue during the last five years, and vowed that they would continue to appeal until the government restored their rights.
Over 100 Workers Block Traffic to Demand Unpaid Wages
[Boxun.com, September 30, 2005] Around 7 a.m. on September 29, 2005, around 100-200 workers from the Xincun Zhiye Shoe Factory in Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, protested on the street to demand their unpaid wages, stopping cars at the intersection of Jiufo Road and Xinguangcong Road. The protesters had an intense conflict with the police, and smashed several police vehicles. Xincun Zhiye Shoe Factory was built in June of this year and had promised to pay wages monthly. But by the end of September, the workers still hadn’t received their paycheck for August. After asking their managers many times without receiving a response, the employees decided to protest. Around 80 percent of the protesters were female.{mospagebreak}
Uyghurs Call Xinjiang a Time Bomb
[Central News Agency and AFP, September 30, 2005] On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s rule in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the World Uyghur Conference (WUC), an organization established by exiled Uyghur Muslims around the world, issued a statement on the policies of the CCP in Xinjiang (known as East Turkestan before the CCP’s rule): "These policies of political oppression, cultural assimilation, economic exploitation, ecological destruction, racial discrimination have gradually turned East Turkestan into a time bomb. As a result, severe anti-Chinese sentiment is intensified throughout East Turkestan."
Requesting Unpaid Wages Cost Farmers Four Yuan for Every One Yuan
[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A large-scale survey published on May 23 found that Chinese farmers need to spend extra money to request their unpaid wages. The Survey Report on the Cost for Farmer Laborers Protecting Their Rights in China was compiled by several attorneys from Mainland China, including Tong Lihua, Xiao Weidong, and Shi Fumao. The survey concluded that it would cost a farm laborer 3,420 to 5,720 yuan (US$427 to US$715) for every 1,000 yuan (US$125) he was owed. The author of the report, Xiao Weidong, said they would send the report to the National People’s Congress, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. He hoped the report would bring attention to a system for farmer laborers to protect their rights. By mid-November 2004, Chinese officials estimated that the unpaid wages for the migrant peasant laborers who worked in cities totaled about 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion); some scholars believe the actual amount to be much higher.
CCP Forbids Falun Gong Practitioners from Leaving China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now depriving Falun Gong practitioners’ right to legally leave China. The "Application for Chinese Citizens to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao," as shown on the website of China Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd. in Sichuan Province (http://www.cots.com.cn/travell/show.asp?id=58), states that applicants who travel or apply to travel to Hong Kong or Macao, must have a letter from their local police station and company director testifying that they do not practice Falun Gong. The CCP fears that Falun Gong practitioners will expose the atrocities and torture occuring against them to overseas media and international society after going abroad. Thus, the CCP does not allow practitioners to go to Hong Kong and Macao.{mospagebreak}
3,000 Have Acquired AIDS Among the 50,000 Prostitutes in Chongqing
[The Epoch Times, September 1, 2005] A reporter for The Epoch Times learned from Chongqing City Public Health Department, that amongst 50,000 prostitutes in Chongqing, 3,000 of them have the AIDS virus. The number of people contracting AIDS through sex in Chongqing is increasing every year.
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Nears Completion
[Voice of America, September 28, 2005] A new railroad connecting Qinghai and Tibet, under construction for the past four years, has crossed some of the world’s most difficult terrain, and is nearing completion. According to Chinese authorities, this project is an important link for the development of the western regions. But critics say that the railway will help the Chinese government maintain even tighter control over Tibet, causing Tibetans to become further marginalized in their own land. The railroad stretches for 1,142 kilometers (around 685 miles). After completion, the railroad will help shrink the currently difficult travel from Beijing to Lhasa to a comparatively easy 48-hour journey.
Juvenile Crime Up 14 Percent Annually in China
[People’s Daily, September 17, 2005] According to statistics provided by the Supreme Court, since 2000, China’s juvenile crime rate climbed rapidly. Between 2000 and 2004, the number of guilty verdicts in all levels of courts in China increased by 14.18 percent annually. From January to July 2005, the crime rate climbed 23.96 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of criminals that received sentences of five years or more went up by 19.94 percent since a year ago. The top ten crimes are robbery, theft, intentional harm, rape, instigating disorder, gang fighting, murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and extortion.
Western Music Industry Calls for Punishment of Chinese Counterfeiters
[Reuters, September 29, 2005] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents Sony, Bertelsmann AG’s BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI Group and other musical companies, if China really wants to keep a promise and solve the US$250 billion a year counterfeit problem, they must close the plants that make fake music CDs and send the counterfeiters to jail.{mospagebreak}
Sino-Japanese Relations Tense as China Drills in Disputed Waters
[Voice of America, September 20, 2005] The Japanese government announced on September 20 that China had begun drilling at the Tianwaitian oil and gas field in the East China Sea. The Japanese government is seeking countermeasures, and Japan and China may be entering another round of tense relations. Beginning last year, Japan discovered that China had established several oil and gas fields near what Japan considers the median line border of the East China Sea. Japan considers some of these fields, including the Chunxiao and Tianwaitian fields, only a few kilometers away from the median line. They feel that the underground oil and gas may be coming from the Japanese side of the line, and thus that China may be taking Japan’s fuel sources. Japan has lodged several protests with China. China has not responded, but agreed to work with Japan in a joint venture.
Chinese Textiles Violate Quota System
[BBC, September 23, 2005] More and more Chinese textile manufacturers are using illegal means to ship their products to the United States and Europe. The quota on textiles limits China’s manufacturers to export more products to Europe this year. But the Chinese found an illegal way to ship their goods to Europe through a third country. According to insider information, mid-sized and small dealers in Europe and the United States are importing Chinese textiles this way. But large dealers are not willing to do so because of risk. Some dealers that import Chinese textiles indirectly may not have realized that they are importing illegally. It is not clear whether the Chinese government knows about this. But one thing is certain: the quota system is being violated.
Chinese Premier Suddenly Cancels Europe Trip
[Zhong Guang News, September 23, 2005] In October, Premier Wen Jiabao postponed his scheduled visits to Russia, France, and other European countries. According to Agence France Press, the Chinese officials did not explain why Wen Jiabao canceled his trip at the last minute, they only said, "Wen has more important domestic issues to deal with."
llegal Gun Manufacturing Hits China’s Impoverished Counties
[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In recent years, China’s law enforcement department has captured and destroyed more than four million guns of different types. Most of these guns came from "underground arms factories." Hualong County in Qinghai province, Songtao county in Guizhou Province, and Hepu County in Guangxi Province have become the three largest counties for manufacturing illegal weapons. All three counties are impoverished. These illegal gun manufacturers pursue quick huge profits. In these areas, it costs only 200 to 300 yuan (approximately US$25 to US$37) to make one gun, but after it is produced it can be sold for more than 10,000 yuan (over US$1,200). In the past year, Qinghai has become the center of a gun manufacturing and distribution web. In the last 10 years, the Qinghai Province Public Security Bureau has arrested 200 people suspected of gun-related crimes, seized over 10,000 gun parts, and destroyed over 60 gun-making facilities. In 2002, they broke a case involving the manufacture of gun parts, and fished out over 1,000 gun parts from the Yellow River.{mospagebreak}
Officials Reluctant to Withdraw Coal Mine Investments
[Central News Agency, September 23, 2005] According to a directive issued by the Chinese government, September 22 was the last day for government officials or heads of state-run companies to withdraw any investments made in China’s coal mines. According to Li Yizhong, Director of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), those who do not withdraw their shares within the time limit, and are discovered, will lose their positions and receive the maximum penalty allowed by law. As reported by Xinhuanet, SAWS believes that a key reason for the poor safety records of China’s coal mines is the investments of these officials, who then openly or secretly protect mine owners who are in violation of regulations, preventing mines that don’t meet safety requirements from suspending production or closing.
Illegal Drugs Flood China, Finding New Markets
[Xinhuanet, September 1, 2005] In the past year, due to the increased supplies of illegal drugs on an international level, the illegal activity in China surrounding new types of drugs has become increasingly serious, causing an uptrend in the making, selling, and use of illegal drugs. These new types of drugs not only attract unemployed youth, but have also spread throughout society to company personnel, actors, university students, and civil servants.
Chinese Soldiers Appeal for Their Rights
[The Epoch Times, September 28, 2005] On April 11, 2005, 1600 people-officers of the army, navy, air force, army security forces, missile artillery, military veterans, and families of deceased veterans-protested outside the appeal office of the Central Military Commission. Eighteen representatives of the protesters met with staff of the appeal office to report their concerns about mistakes in the government’s "Number One Document of 1993," and the problems of treatment and status of retired military cadres. The protestors requested that the government restore the social status of and provide for these retired officials. They also reviewed the course of appeals they have made about this issue during the last five years, and vowed that they would continue to appeal until the government restored their rights.
Requesting Unpaid Wages Cost Farmers Four Yuan for Every One Yuan
[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A large-scale survey published on May 23 found that Chinese farmers need to spend extra money to request their unpaid wages. The Survey Report on the Cost for Farmer Laborers Protecting Their Rights in China was compiled by several attorneys from Mainland China, including Tong Lihua, Xiao Weidong, and Shi Fumao. The survey concluded that it would cost a farm laborer 3,420 to 5,720 yuan (US$427 to US$715) for every 1,000 yuan (US$125) he was owed. The author of the report, Xiao Weidong, said they would send the report to the National People’s Congress, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, and the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council. He hoped the report would bring attention to a system for farmer laborers to protect their rights. By mid-November 2004, Chinese officials estimated that the unpaid wages for the migrant peasant laborers who worked in cities totaled about 100 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion); some scholars believe the actual amount to be much higher.{mospagebreak}
CCP Forbids Falun Gong Practitioners from Leaving China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now depriving Falun Gong practitioners’ right to legally leave China. The "Application for Chinese Citizens to Travel to Hong Kong and Macao," as shown on the website of China Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd. in Sichuan Province (http://www.cots.com.cn/travell/show.asp?id=58), states that applicants who travel or apply to travel to Hong Kong or Macao, must have a letter from their local police station and company director testifying that they do not practice Falun Gong. The CCP fears that Falun Gong practitioners will expose the atrocities and torture occuring against them to overseas media and international society after going abroad. Thus, the CCP does not allow practitioners to go to Hong Kong and Macao.
3,000 Have Acquired AIDS Among the 50,000 Prostitutes in Chongqing
[The Epoch Times, September 1, 2005] A reporter for The Epoch Times learned from Chongqing City Public Health Department, that amongst 50,000 prostitutes in Chongqing, 3,000 of them have the AIDS virus. The number of people contracting AIDS through sex in Chongqing is increasing every year.
Major Graft in Electricity Industry, 830 Million Yuan in Bribes and Numerous Officials Involved
[The Epoch Times, Aug. 18, 2005] Lin Kongxing, former Vice Chairman of the Board of the China Electricity Council, Director of the Administration Bureau of the Huazhong Power Industry, and President of Huazhong Electric Power Group Co., together with his daughter and son-in-law, secretly manipulated electricity prices while contracting electricity projects and supplying various electricity companies, illegally profiting by 830 million yuan (US$102 million). After his crimes were exposed, Lin attempted to flee the country, but was caught at an airport by investigators. Dozens of accomplices in the electricity industry were also arrested, together with over 30 other people involved in the case.
A Quarter of China’s County-Level Libraries Unable to Afford Books
[China Youth Daily, August 21, 2005] According to Li Guoxin, Chairman of the Academic Research Committee of the China Library Institute, most of the county-level libraries in China’s midwest region were built in the 1880s, and have now become dangerous and prone to collapse. Although some counties have built new libraries, they cannot open, as they lack books. According to data published by China’s Ministry of Culture, 24 percent of the over 700 county-level libraries, mostly in the midwestern region, do not have any funds to purchase books. In addition, a large number of libraries have become "hollow shells," unable to buy or rarely buying any books in years or even decades.{mospagebreak}
Failed Pollution Appeal Prompts 1,000 People to Riot
[The Epoch Times, September 30, 2005] A battery factory in Songhe Township, Hubei Province’s Jingshan County had an ongoing pollution problem. The local government was not responding to complaints from local residents. Recently, students and teachers from Township Number Two Middle School and some nearby villagers blocked the roads to the factory. On September 29, some students broke into the factory to smash doors, windows, and other plant facilities. The government sent a large number of anti-riot police to suppress the students. During the clash, several students were injured and at least three villagers were arrested.
China’s Wealth Gap Reaches Alarming Levels
[China Daily, August 22, 2005] China’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security has reported that China’s rapidly widening wealth gap has reached dangerous levels, and that if the trend continues, it will put China’s social stability at risk. According to the ministry’s report, "The income gap in China has been ever-widening. If the government cannot find an effective way to stop the trend, social instability will likely occur after 2010."
Fourteen Chinese Immigration Smugglers Arrested in Spain
[The Epoch Times, September 18, 2005] In June 2005, the Spanish Police Headquarters received a report from the E.U. Interpol about a group of illegal Chinese aliens operating a crime ring in Madrid to smuggle illegal aliens. After more than three months of investigation, on September 9, the police broke into this crime ring which specializes in smuggling Chinese people. The police arrested 14 suspects who themselves are illegal aliens. Using Madrid as a transfer station, this crime ring smuggled Chinese people to Mexico, Canada, and South Africa, among others. Most of the ring members are between 19 to 23 years old. Only one person is 35. The ring leader, Fang Mei, and his associate Mr. Sheng are both 19 years old.