The Chinese government has begun issuing civilian identification cards to all members of the armed forces, in order to better protect the civil rights of military personnel.

More than 460 members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) became the first service personnel to officially receive the cards at a ceremony in Beijing on Thursday.

The event was jointly organized by the Army's Leading Group on the issue, Beijing's Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the Beijing Garrison of the Chinese Liberation Army (PLA).

A PLA spokesman explained that on Sept. 6, 1985, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) approved regulations that denied service personnel civilian ID cards, but this was overturned in the Law on Identification Cards passed on June 28, 2003.

Civilian ID cards would make life easier, however, military personnel are still prohibited under army regulations from traveling abroad or get married without approval, the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2008)