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China crime chief urges end to "social conflicts"
10 Dec 2004 09:08:42 GMT
Source: Reuters
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(Adds analyst comment, paragraphs 10-13) By Lindsay Beck BEIJING, Dec 10 (Reuters) - China's security chief has urged officials to heed the grievances of their communities, state media reported on Friday, in the wake of a series of violent protests that undermine efforts to maintain stability. The China Daily published the comments from Luo Gan, a politburo member who oversees crime and punishment, in an editorial calling on local authorities to listen to complaints so that they did not become a source of instability. "Public security and judicial departments must handle collective incidents in line with the law and prevent and eliminate social conflicts to a maximum extent," the editorial quoted Luo as telling a meeting on Tuesday. Chinese media are barred from reporting on most protests and the editorial made no mention of specific incidents, but there have been at least five large-scale, violent demonstrations across the country over the past few months. Two protests erupted within hours of each other last weekend at opposite ends of China. In the northern province of Shanxi, two policemen were killed after 200 workers converged to seek the release of detained colleagues. A scuffle between street performers and officials in the southwestern region of Guangxi escalated into a riot involving 10,000 people. The riots and clashes, all sparked by seemingly minor issues, highlight discontent over rampant corruption and the growing gap between rich and poor as China's rampant market reforms leave much of the countryside behind. "The making of any reform and development scheme should take account of the fundamental interests of the people," Luo said. Aware of the potential for discontent, the leadership of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao has stressed the social side of development. But analysts say Luo's comments underline the challenge of getting the message to local officials scattered across China's vast territory. "The government at the highest level is aware of the situation," said Bob Broadfoot, of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy. "But when it gets down to the local level and local officials, who are as much a part of the problem as the solution, they just don't know how to do that. "It's their (the Communist Party's) support base. They have to be really careful about how they do it," he said. Luo, part of the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee that rules China, was a trusted lieutenant of then-premier Li Peng who declared martial law in May 1989 days before troops backed by tanks killed hundreds of unarmed protesters in the June 3-4 Tiananmen Square demonstrations. But Luo has also spearheaded the relaxation of restrictions on internal migration and ordered fewer executions in keeping with a leadership drive to cultivate a gentler image.
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