Social Stability - 126. page

For the first time, a Beijing Chaoyang District court issued a decision on guards who detained petitioners illegally. It sentenced 10 local government detention guards to prison terms on charges of illegal detention.

Last May, the Beijing police arrested 10 persons at a location where the Liaison Office of Henan Province had detained 12 petitioners from Henan because they had came to Beijing to appeal their grievances to the central government. On September 24, 3012, a court in the Beijing Chaoyang District held its first hearing. The second hearing was held on November 27, 2012, where the three juvenile suspects were tried. The court met for the third time on November 28, 2012, for the trial of the seven adults. The court issued its decision that same day. It sentenced the lead suspect to prison for a term of one and a half years and the remaining nine to prison for terms of different lengths, all on charges of illegal detention.  

Source: 64tianwang.com, November 28, 2012
http://www.64tianwang.com/bencandy.php?fid-16-id-11767-page-1.htm

Beijing Times reported that Tian Hua from Shanghai, who had the top score in the 2012 National Civil Service Exam, was denied a job with the Ministry of Finance. In April 2012, Tian filed an administrative legal action claiming discrimination. In November 2012, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court dismissed the legal action citing lack of jurisdiction. On November 27, Tian filed an appeal with the Beijing Higher People’s Court.

The Shanghai resident, who used the pseudonym Tian Hua, has a masters degree and is a certified accountant. He ranked No. 1 in both the written and the oral exams. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Finance rejected him on the grounds that he failed the physical exam. Tian had disclosed to the examining physician that he had hand muscle atrophy 11 years ago and has since been cured. “After a ‘communication’ between the Ministry of Finance and the hospital, the hospital produced a document stating that Tian is not physically fit for the job due to ‘other diseases that affect his ability to adequately perform official duties.’”

Source: Beijing Times, November 28, 2012
http://beijing.jinghua.cn/c/201211/28/n3813588.shtml

On November 27, 2012, BWChinese.com published an article providing detailed information about  China’s Third Wave of Mass Emigration. The first emigration wave, in the early 1980s, was the wave for studying overseas for higher degrees. The second wave, in the 1990s, was the emigration of professionals. In recent years, most emigrants have been the newly rich Chinese, who use investments to migrate to other countries. Some of them are entrepreneurs whose purpose is to protect their wealth. Others are CCP officials who escaped from China with huge amounts of public funds. In addition, the family members of many business owners and CCP officials live overseas. According to a report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, at the present time, “about 45 million Chinese live in different countries around the world.”

The article stated, “When those with money leave, they can only take their wealth with them. However, the damage when officials emigrate is much greater. They not only take away their wealth, but also rob and poison this country.”

Source: BWChinese.com, November 27, 2012
http://www.bwchinese.com/article/1035747.html

On November 20, 2012, The Beijing News reported that five boys were found dead in a dumpster in Bijie, Guizhou Province. An elderly woman, a rubbish collector, discovered the bodies. Beijing News said that the boys had apparently taken refuge from the cold by staying in the dumpster; they burned charcoal in order to keep warm. The preliminary cause of the deaths was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning. Several dozen policemen sealed off the funeral home to which the bodies were transported. Three or four days earlier, the boys had been seen in rags looking for food and rotten wood they could burn to keep warm.

[Editor’s Note: It was later confirmed that the boys were between 9 and 13; all belonged to the same extended Tao family. They were the sons of three brothers who are poor. Ironically, two are garbage collectors in another city. Li Yuanlong, the reporter who broke the story about the boys’ deaths, disappeared after the police forced him into a vehicle.]

Sources:
The Beijing News, November 20, 2012
http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2012/11/20/234677.html
Radio Free Asia, November 22, 2012
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/boys-11222012152908.html

VOA reported that, on November 9, 2012, Google’s online service in China was seriously disrupted. According to Google, starting on Friday morning, Google experienced a sharp drop in the number of its online users. A consumer report from Google indicated that Google’s search engine and email service were down.

According to VOA, the disruption took place during China’s 18th Congress; nor was this the first time it happened. In 2010, after Google announced it would end its online filtering and censorship, its service in China was
shut down a number of times. In June 2012, Google warned its Chinese users that there were sensitive words and phrases that might cause the Internet police to investigate them.

VOA wrote that, even though Google openly challenges Beijing’s authority, its business in China continues to grow:  “Google has hired more engineers and sales force personnel and has continued to provide business and online advertising services to Chinese companies.”

Source: Voice of America, November 9, 2012
http://www.voachinese.com/content/google-20121109/1543059.html

According to a recent survey of China’s civil servants (government employees), 38.53 percent of those surveyed experienced that the reality of their government jobs turned out to be way below their expectations. Over 70 percent responded that large scale downsizing of the government is likely. With respect to the future of a government career, 39.10 percent are “preparing to retire early, just in case,” to play it safe; 10.11 percent are considering leaving the government for either a job in the private sector or to continue their education. The remaining 50.79 percent are not optimistic about their career prospects; their attitude is, "one step at a time, and deal with changes by not changing.”

Source: Xiaoxiang Morning News reprinted by Sina.com, October 31, 2012
http://edu.sina.com.cn/official/2012-10-31/1501360447.shtml