Revised regulations on petitions were announced on Monday, to go into effect from May 1.

The petition system is intended to give Chinese citizens a direct channel to air their grievances with government, but in recent years increasing numbers of cases have decreased its effectiveness, particularly as the country’s reforms have deepened and more people take their cases to central government.

In an interview with Xinhua, officials from the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Letters and Complaints Bureau acknowledged that problems currently exist, such as inadequate capacity and lack of supervision of officials.

To improve the system, the revised regulation expressly forbids any kind of retaliation against petitioners and says offenders will be punished.

It also stipulates that governments at all levels should publicize the contact details of local petition agencies and arrange for leading government officials to see petitioners face to face regularly, the idea being to encourage more cases to be resolved at local level rather than having to come to Beijing.

Zhou Zhanshun, former director of the State Letters and Complaints Bureau, had previously said that over 80 percent of petitions could be solved by local governments, but that they failed to do so.

The regulation says petitions offices at all levels should make full use of information networks linking central and local governments to allow petitioners to keep up to date with their cases' progress via computer terminals.

It also says that resolution of petitions should be included as a criterion in assessing civil servants' performance, and that officials who violate petitioners' rights will be disciplined and held accountable.

The regulation also outlines petitioners' responsibilities in helping to keep the system running: those who blockade government departments, interrupt transportation, carry hazardous objects, insult or beat officials, or profiteer through organizing petitions will also be held accountable.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2005)