| 【The Anti-Rightist Campaign】 Escape from Long-Life Lake (2) |
Li Wenshu |
| Given that this was considered my second escape attempt, I was penalized more harshly. I was not beaten, but rather had my labor increased to the point where I could scarcely bear it; yet if I did not complete my work, I would not be fed. I decided that this time I really would escape, and I couldn't wait until next year. I was terrified. It was the first time I felt the fear of death. |
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| 【Special Report and Commentary】 Rejecting the Past |
Yu Jie |
| In the 20 years since the Tiananmen Massacre, great changes have taken place. Grass grows thick on the graves of the dead, and the living have changed their points of view. I saw many such situations early on, but I never guessed that Liu Zaifu, a person I held in high regard, would make such a complete about-face. |
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| 【Around The World】 Support for the Poor in the US |
Wu Li |
| The U.S. government, in an effort to maintain agricultural prices, can be said to pay too little heed to market economics. At the same time, after the government buys up surplus agricultural products, it does not let its officials sell them off for personal profit as in the case of China's grainery officials. Instead, the U.S. government donates the excess produce to the poor in its own country and abroad. |
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| 【Around The World】 Political Modernization Begins with Sharing Power |
Southern Weekend |
| It is not unusual for a country's leadership to have foolish policies. What is strange is country where a kilo of apples costs thousands of RMB, and the government remains in power. What does this government depend on? Violent threats, corrupt elections, monopolized media and a party-controlled army. For someone like myself, who is concerned with the failure of democracy in so many countries, the Zimbabwe election in March provides many insights. |
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| 【Chinese Landscape】 The Toxic Food Department |
An Zi |
| Li Changjiang has stepped down, Meng Xuenong has stepped down again, the Zhang Xuejuns have also stepped down, but the system that allowed the toxic milk powder scandal to occur is still in place. The system that allowed Li, Meng and Zhang to hold their positions without fulfilling their duties is still in place. One food quality scandal follows another... |
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| 【The Anti-Rightist Campaign】 My Experience as a Rightist |
Tan Tianrong |
| After being labeled a Rightist, I was sent into "labor reform" for 22 years. During this 22 years in purgatory, I experienced my share of suffering, and even came close to death more than once. Even so, I consider myself fortunate, having witnessed the even greater suffering of others, some of whom did not survive their trials. |
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| 【Special Cases】 Encounter with a Policeman at Tiananmen Square |
Yan Jiawei |
| I took careful note of his badge number, 51890, and he noticed that I had seen it. Belligerently he said, "Take a good look. File a complaint and see if I care!" Clearly this was not a matter of his individual behavior; he was backed by an autocratic system that took no account of human rights or human life. |
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| 【Special Report and Commentary】 Tainted Milk: Regulatory Do's and Don'ts |
Caijing |
| Having watched events unfold, we can now focus on institution building to prevent such tragedies from reoccurring. Admittedly, the ramifications of this incident involving Sanlu and other dairy companies are broad and the consequences serious. The direct cause is connected to product safety as well as a lack of social responsibility. But ultimately, the crisis reveals that the government has failed to act in its role as a night watchman. |
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| 【Hong Kong】 Hong Kong Lawyer Victim of Self-Censorship |
Thomas E. Kellogg |
| Although the editorial board of Hong Kong Lawyer has refused to explain its reasons for killing Paul Harris' piece on Tibet, the circumstantial evidence is too strong to avoid the conclusion that political factors played a significant -- if not exclusive -- role in the board’s decision. |
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| 【Around The World】 The Facts and Fables of a Unified Korea |
Asia Times |
| What is of special interest about Roh's speech is a clear tendency to abandon the vision of unification as the supreme national goal. Roh stressed a number of times that while unification is desirable, peace and stability on the peninsula are more important. In fact, this is what many Koreans think - and an increasing number doubt whether unification is really such a good idea. |
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| 【Friday Editorial 】 Toxic Milk and Harmonious Society (Full translation) |
Gu Yuan |
It would appear that "harmony" is very flexible. Too bad that the definition of "harmony" has become distorted beyond recognition in the official dictionary. It is not the traditional sense of harmony between officials and people, but rather the people being "harmonized" by the authorities. Putting it bluntly, "harmony" is just another term for "stability above all." That is why disasters continue to occur one after another in the midst of this harmony. |
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| 【Chinese Landscape】 China's Dairy Farmers Say They Are Victims |
New York Times |
| China's dairy farmers stand accused of adulterating their milk for profit in China's worst food safety crisis in decades. But farmers say they, too, are the victims of a widening scandal that has sickened 53,000 babies, caused at least four deaths and set off an international recall of dairy products. |
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| 【Special Report and Commentary】 The Shijiazhuang Government's Clever Apology |
Zhang Ming |
| From whatever angle you look at it, this kind of apology is too clever by half. I would recommend that government officials at every level should commit it to memory and trot it out in the future whenever the occasion demands. Put plainly, this apology was not directed at "all the infant victims and their families," but rather at the upper levels of government. |
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