Social Stability - 137. page

According to Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, tens of thousands of villagers from the town of Ying Ge Hai in Hainan Province marched on the streets on March 10, 2010, to stop the opening ceremony of a thermal power station. Ying Ge Hai is famous for its salt fields and its fishing industry. These are the major sources of income for at least 20,000 villagers. Fearing the environmental and air pollution to the area, the villagers have resisted the power plant proposal since last December. However, the authorities have still gone ahead with the plan. On Saturday March 10, the protesters marched to the village office building and demanded that the authorities cancel the opening ceremony. The police force was on the scene and used tear gas to stop the protesters from entering the building. The police besieged and blockaded the entire village, arresting at least 20 protesters. The related online postings were taken down almost as soon as they were posted.

Source: Wen Xue City, March 12, 2012
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2012/03/12/1675489.html

On February 25, 2012, China’s Ministry of Health issued a press release rebutting online blogs about suspected SARS patients in a military hospital. According to Internet blogs, there are about 300 soldiers currently undergoing treatment in isolation in the No. 252 military hospital in Baoding, Hebei. They are being treated for a mysterious respiratory syndrome with symptoms that include a continued high fever. The press release from the Ministry of Health stated that the outbreak is the result of a Type 55 adenovirus respiratory infection, that none of the patients are critically ill, and that no deaths have occurred. The release said that, after applying several types of treatment, the outbreak has been effectively controlled.

Source: Ministry of Health of China, February 25, 2012
http://www.moh.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/mohwsyjbgs/s3578/201202/54205.htm

According to the Hong Kong based Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, approximately 1,500 riot police under the direct command of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party were sent from Laiyang, Hunan Province, to Chongqing, Sichuan Province. Wang Lijun, the former police chief and Vice Mayor of Chongqing, who used to lead the Chongqing riot police, is currently under arrest and is being investigated in Beijing. Officials from the local State Security Department and the Chongqing Riot Police are also being investigated. It was reported that the Communist leaders are concerned that in times of riots, the Chongqing riot police might not follow orders. Hence the Hunan riot police have been moved and are stationed in Chongqing as a precaution.

Source: Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, February 24, 2012
http://www.hkhkhk.com/

On February 16, 2012，People’s Daily reported that the demand for organ transplants far exceeds the supply。 According to Statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Health，1.5 million patients need organ transplants due to end stage organ failure, but only about 10,000 people will be able to complete organ transplantation because the ratio of organ demand to supply is 150 to 1.

The report further explained that the main reason for the extreme organ shortage is due to the extremely low donation rate. In China, the number of “organ donations after death” was still zero in 2003. After many years of effort, the donation rate is now 0.03 per one million people.

Source: People’s Daily, February 16, 2012
http://society.people.com.cn/GB/136657/17126119.html

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) stated that it supports proposed rules on AIDS treatment and prevention that will require the use of real names in HIV testing. Guangxi Autonomous Region is considering a regulation to promote the use of real names in HIV testing. Wang Yu, the Director of China CDC stated that, in order to prevent discrimination against AIDS patients, the current HIV testing is voluntary and anonymous; this protects the privacy of those who take the test. However, as a result of the anonymity, medical workers cannot locate and provide the test results to those who take the test, let alone offer them effective medical advice and treatment. “The prevention and control of AIDS will be adversely impacted unless we have a real-name system.”

Source: Nanfang Daily, February 9, 2012
http://nf.nfdaily.cn/nfdsb/content/2012-02/09/content_37548333.htm

The Party leaders in Tibet met on February 7 to discuss stability issues. Qizala, the secretary of the Lhasa municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, and the top Communist Party official in Lhasa, warned that departments at all levels in the city must not relax their vigilance and must attach paramount importance to their readiness to fight. “The situation of maintaining stability remains grim with unpredictable variables. (We) should be vigilant and ready to fight. Keep in mind that Lhasa must not have any incidents and that we cannot afford to have any incidents in Lhasa. Be mentally prepared for a protracted battle; (we must) resolutely align our thinking and action with the deployment and requirements of the Stability Command of the Autonomous Region. (We must) mobilize all resources, do a solid, good job of maintaining stability during this sensitive period of time, and actively create a festive, peaceful, and celebratory Tibetan New Year to ensure no incidents occur in Lhasa.”

Source: China Tibet News reprinted by Guangming Daily, February 8, 2012.
http://politics.gmw.cn/2012-02/08/content_3522343.htm

Xinhua’s Economic Information Daily reported that the third wave of Chinese emigrating overseas has been gaining momentum, with the United States and Canada as the top destination choices. An October 2011 survey indicated that 60% of those whose net worth exceeds 100 million RMB are either applying for or planning to apply for emigration to other countries. The first wave of emigration occurred in the early stage of the China’s open-door policy, when people left China primarily to look for work. The second wave was in the 1990s. It featured high tech emigrants. The third wave started in 2002 when the U.S. implemented a new immigration policy. It gathered momentum in 2008, particularly after the international financial crisis. Most from China have been investor emigrants. The report notes that, along with investment emigration, a large amount of funds has been transferred overseas. “The desire of investor emigrants to seek refuge [overseas] is strong.”

Source: Xinhua, February 1, 2012
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2012-02/01/c_111475232.htm

According to Legal Evening News, residents in Beijing cannot buy kitchen knives at supermarkets and department stores without providing their government issued ID cards. The customers must register their names by filling out ID cards at the stores and must provide an explanation of the intended use for the kitchen knives. A local resident, Ms. Zhang, just moved into a new home and went to the store to purchase several kitchen knives. She was not allowed to purchase the knives because she did not bring her ID with her. Notices have been posted at the stores stating that, according to an order from the Public Security authorities, those who purchase knives in stores must produce IDs for registration at the stores. Wal-Mart and Happy Go stores now require customers to show IDs when purchasing knives. However, customers can still purchase knives at hardware stores without IDs.

Source: Legal Evening News reprinted at sina.com, January 28, 2012
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2012-01-28/150723848923.shtml?c=spr_sw_bd_maxthon_news