The Shenzhen Municipal Government has issued a new rule to regulate people's petitions after petitioners blocked traffic and disrupted government services in a string of high-profile petitions this year.

Those who violate other people's rights or disrupt public order while filing petitions would be punished, the Daily Sunshine reported Monday, citing the new rule issued July 9.

People who had complaints for the government could send no more than five representatives to the Office of Complaints in the original municipal government building in Shennan Road Central, but not the new Citizens' Center, said Mao Bing, chief of the office.

The office is responsible for dealing with public complaints. People could mail letters, make phone calls or send e-mails to the office, he said.

The office would sort complaints and petitions into two categories, one for "important cases" and the other for "normal cases." It would respond to "important cases" within 30 days, Mao said.

People could also ask for administrative arbitration, go to court, or suggest a public hearing before filing complaints and petitions, Mao said.

Most of the complaints received by the office involved labor disputes, land planning, economic disputes, unemployment, and problems with government leaders, Mao said.

Petition activities can not use banners with slogans, shout slogans, or hand out leaflets to passers-by before obtaining permission from the authorities, said Xie Han, an official from the public security bureau.

On May 1 this year, petitioners caused a traffic standstill on Beihuan Thoroughfare. Petitioners from Dingtaifengha, a housing estate, also disrupted the work of government departments in a land planning dispute, the report said. It did not say whether the petitioners were punished.

(Shenzhen Daily July 20, 2004)