The Guangdong Provincial Supreme Court and the provincial social stability office jointly released a statement that local courts, police, and community stability offices will join hands to resolve “civil disputes” at a “one-stop” at the local level. They initiated a streamlined process of mediation, summons, execution and post-judgment stability.
Source: Guangdong Daily, May 25, 2010
http://gzdaily.dayoo.com/html/2010-05/25/content_974950.htm
China Review News reported that the official National Labor Union, led by the Communist Party, recently called for an immediate wage increase and described it as a must-do. The ratio of wages to GDP declined from 56.5% in 1983 to 36.7% in 2005. Meanwhile, the rate of return on capital rose by 20% in GDP. Typical working class citizens suffer a lower rate of wage increase. They are not only behind the rate of economic development, but they are behind the consumer price increase and the increase the rate of taxes as well. The report quoted Henry Ford’s 100-year-old comment on wages: “There is nothing more important than the labor wage, because most people rely on it for a living. Increasing people’s quality of life determines the prosperity of our nation.” The report called for sharing the fruit of The Reform with the people.
Source: China Review News, May 15, 2010
http://gb.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1013/2/3/0/101323092.html?coluid=53&kindid=0&docid=101323092&mdate=0515083737
Globe Magazine, a branch of Xinhua News, published a recent poll of seven cities on the quality of life. The results show that 70% of the people are unsatisfied and only 10% are satisfied. The number one cause of the problem is high consumer prices, especially housing prices. Other reasons include: the growing wealth gap, the worsening environment, poor social security, disorderly city planning, low transportation efficiency, high unemployment pressure, a low safety index, and overly rapid urbanization. Among the top expectations are “more time to enjoy life” and a “harmonious society.” According to the poll, only 10% voted for Beijing and Shanghai as having a high quality of life. Principles of the New Jersey State Planning are widely acknowledged as a positive model.
Source: Xinhua, May 12, 2010
http://news.xinhuanet.com/globe/2010-05/12/content_13478247.htm
A class action lawsuit was filed with China’s Supreme People’s Court in Beijing against the Chinese Communist Party, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and the State Council. Mr. Lu Qingfu, a freelance writer and a “rightist,” initiated the civil lawsuit and was joined by Ye Xiaogang and over 60 plaintiffs. The plaintiffs asked for apologies and compensation on behalf of over 550,000 victims who were denounced in 1957 by the defendants as “bourgeois rightists.” Lu spent over twenty years in prison after he was denounced as a rightist in 1957.
Source: China Human Rights Defenders, May 18, 2010
http://ww2.crd-net.org/Article/Class71/201005/20100518003901_21267.html
China is tightening the control of the printing and copying business in Lhasa, according to an article that Global Times republished from the Lhasa Evening newspaper. Anyone running a printing or copying business is required to register with the police first. The company owner must obtain upper level organization’s approval. Individual owners must have a local permanent or temporary residence permit. The shop owners are required to verify the customer’s information. For business jobs, they must record the company’s name and address and for individual jobs, the individual’s name, address, and identification number.
Source: Global Times, May 18, 2010
http://china.huanqiu.com/roll/2010-05/818703.html
China’s state news People’s Daily recently reported on the decision of the National Bureau for Letters and Calls (the government agency to receive and handle Chinese citizen’s petitions and appeals), that all municipal bureau directors will be trained in batches within two years. The municipal level of the Bureau is considered the key in the chain of work. The training focuses on four primary points: (1) enhancing bureau officers’ understanding of the mission and the political responsibility; (2) studying the new strategies by the Party Central Committee and the State Council; (3) improving the capabilities to handle social emergencies; (4) improving skills in guiding public opinion and dealing with the media.
Source: People’s Daily, May 13, 2010
http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64093/82429/83083/11583326.html
The State Bureau for Letters and Calls (SBLC), the government agency to receive and handle Chinese citizen’s petitions and appeals, has recently decided to intensively train city and county-level bureau chiefs. The first session was held from May 10 to 16 in Beijing. SBLC plans to train 600 officials in 2010.
Asia Weekly (Yazhou Zhoukan) published an article on May 7, 2010, regarding the multiple murders of children in Mainland China’s preschools and elementary schools.
“Within just over a month, there were six consecutive killings targeting children, done by different perpetrators in different locations,” said the article. According to the article, the media across China received an order from China’s propaganda authorities, requiring that all media “report the news following the released sample news.” They are “not to send reporters to conduct interviews”; “not to give any comments”; “not to provide relevant news links”; and only major media are allowed to report the news.
The article said that one killer was executed within a month (of the murders). No one had been allowed to approach him or his family members.
Source: Asia Weekly, May 7, 2010
http://www.yzzk.com/cfm/Content_Archive.cfm?Channel=br&Path=3494213932/19br3.cfm