Social Stability - 168. page

A collection of a few Chinese rights lawyers comments on the execution of Yang Jia, a young man who stabbed six Shanghai policemen as revenge for police mistreatment:

Li Jinglin: The socially disadvantaged groups including the petitioners are also learning lessons. In real life, it is impossible for their legal rights to be effectively protected.

Li Xiongbing: The social conflicts such as the Yang Jia incident were solved in an extreme way because there are no other channels [for redress]. The unrest taking place in either Longnan of Gansu province or Weng’an of Guizhou province are inevitable due to the lack of a functioning judicial system. If there exists a fair and independent third party that can act as a mediator, then such violent confrontation will not happen.

Zheng Enchong: The government’s handling of Yang Jia’s case is self-contradictory. As a consequence, people will not trust the law.

Tang Jingling: Without a fair judicial system, it’s impossible for a rights [defense] movement to proceed peacefully. However, the government’s violence always prevails.

Source: Sound of Hope Radio, December 1, 2008
http://soundofhope.org/programs/162/111882-1.asp

An article on the Deutsche Welle China section listed the number of protests held by various groups and warns of the consequences if no serious action is taken by the government.

As those whose houses were relocated, farmers who lost land, workers fighting for unfair wages, taxi drivers, property owners as well as the depressed stockholders join protests, the dissatisfaction towards the government has spread to the middle class now.

The article quoted an investigative report by Yu Jiarong, a sociologist, disclosing that the ever worsening anxiety over the economy has intensified the conflicts between the police and the protesters. Photos and videos spread through the internet are causing the incident to expand. “The expert has warned that if the government does no take any serious action, China will suffer bigger losses as anger continues to accumulate among the protesters.”

Source: Deutsche Welle, November, 26, 2008
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3822835,00.html

Since November 24, no taxi has been running in Suizhou City of Hubei Province. The city’s 500+ taxis are parked, with some drivers petitioning in front of the city government.

The strike is said to be caused by a city government directive issued on November 15. It asked for an annual 4,000 yuan “operation fee” from each of the 550 taxi cabs running in the city. The fee is levied for a four year term. If the driver does not pay the money by the end of 2008, the city police will confiscate his license.

Burdened by multiple administrative fees and charges, the taxi drivers are left with a meager disposable income off of which to live. The newly added government charge has become the last straw. The strike has been going on for two days. There is no effective dialogue between the city government and taxi drivers.

Source: Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, November 25, 2008
http://www.msguancha.com/Article/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=1608

A medical expert in Guangzhou warned on Nov 24 that AIDS in China has entered a stage of being uncontrollable.

An 18-year-old college freshman was recently diagnosed with AIDS in a Guangzhou hospital. According to the doctor, the male student was infected through sexual intercourse.
 
In China, transmission of the deadly disease through sexual activities has dwarfed every other channel of contagion, according to Cai Weiping, an AIDS expert from Guangzhou No. 8 People’s Hospital, in a media interview.

While the liberal attitude toward sex among the younger generation is one of the major reasons for the disease being out of control, migrant workers and the elderly are also vulnerable populations. Although the government has started the AIDS education, the sex workers at the bottom of  society are usually not targeted. Cai said that due to their extremely low income, they cannot afford the cost of condoms.

Source: Nanfang Daily, November 25, 2008
http://www.nanfangdaily.com.cn/nfjx/200811250032.asp

775,000 applicants will be competing for 13,500 job openings for civil servants, Xinhua reported. The annual Civil Service Exam will be held on November 30, 2008. Only 1.75 % of the applicants will be offered a government job. The increase in the number of applicants shows the tight job market for college graduates, said Yang Shiqiu, Vice-Minister of Human Resources and Social Security.

Interviews and exams on specialties will be held March 15, 2009. The hiring will be completed by June 2009. It was announced earlier that non-B hepatitis carriers are eligible for the exam.

Source: Xinhua, November 19, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-11/19/content_10382481.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2008-11/18/content_10376387.htm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-11/18/content_10377224.htm

Ms. Liu Jing, a Falun Gong practitioner, was sentenced to three and half year imprisonment on November 3, 2008. Ms. Liu was arrested November 2007 for downloading from the Internet and distributing Falun Gong materials. In March 2008 she was charged of undermining the implementation of the laws and administrative rules and regulations of the State under Article 300 of the Criminal Law. During the November 3 trial at the People’s Court, Fangxian District, Shanghai, her attorney Mo Shaoping presented oral argument stating Ms. Liu was not guilty as charged and that her actions were protected by freedom of speech and freedom of religion under the Chinese Constitution.

Source: The Epoch Times, November 3, 2008
http://epochtimes.com/gb/8/11/3/n2318310.htm

As of November 1, 7 students were diagnosed as cholera out of the 30 with the symptom of diarrhea at Hainan University, located in the southern island of Hainan province. It’s the second batch of cholera outbreak in the island after the 17 cases found in Zhanzhou city on October 20.

The campus is now closed up. All students, faculty, and staff members are required to take preventive medicine for three days in a row so as to deter the spread of the infectious disease.

According to the local health authority, 51 cholera cases were identified between October 3 and November 2 across the province. No death was reported.

Source: China Youth Daily, November 4, 2008
http://news.sohu.com/20081104/n260431486.shtml

Close to half of Shanghai population are migrants according to the release of the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China on October 30.   Shanghai has a population of approximately 18.6 million.  8.6 million of it are migrants.  70% of these migrants are from adjacent provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhenjiang and Jiangxi.  This large migrant population in Shanghai has been the priority and problem area for the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China to ensure compliance of one-child policy.

Source: Xinhua, October 30, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-10-30/content_10281899.htm