China's top security official ordered authorities of various
levels to dissolve social conflicts and meanwhile, continue to
crackdown on crimes to ensure that the Communist Party's 17th
national congress is held in a peaceful environment.
Luo Gan, director of the Central Committee for the Comprehensive
Management of Public Security, urged local Party and government
officials to do more mediation in dealing with social disputes or
conflicts.
"Reasoning, consultation and negotiation should be applied in a
comprehensive way to dissolve social conflicts," said Luo, echoing
the call from a Party newspaper urging the government to reduce the
use of force to deal with social unrest.
Speaking at a two-day national security meeting which ended
Tuesday in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province,
Luo asked local officials to listen to and work on the complaints
and pleas raised by the masses "to ensure their problems can be
effectively resolved".
Violent protests and social unrest with mass participation,
officially termed "mass incidents", have become more frequent in
recent years. Most riots originated from unanswered petitions and
public discontent concerning issues such as land acquisition and
unjust law enforcement.
The Study Times, a weekly newspaper sponsored by the
Party School of the CPC Central Committee, last month published a
commentary urging local government officials to refrain from using
force to control protests as violence might intensify
conflicts.
"Local governments should distinguish between a collective
appeal to the higher authorities for help and a violation of the
law," it said, adding that police should only be involved in mass
incidents where laws and regulations had been violated.
Liu Jinguo, vice minister of public security, said on the
meeting that "mass incidents" are on the decline due to the
increased mediation efforts of public security officials.
He said the number of reported "mass incidents" was down 16.5
percent in 2006, compared with the year before, continuing the
decline since 2004.
The number of participants was also down 20.2 percent last year,
said the vice minister.
Previous reports said the Ministry of Public Security
acknowledged 17,900 "mass incidents" occurred nationwide in the
first nine months of 2006, down 22.1 percent from the same period a
year earlier.
Liu said the police has made the security of the Party congress,
to be held in the second half of this year, and the Beijing
Olympics next year as priorities of the two years.
He said the police shall deal with major "mass incidents" as
fast as possible and avoid conflicts being intensified due to
inappropriate handling.
While pointing out the importance to dissolve social conflicts,
Luo ordered seriously cracking down on crimes that threaten
people's lives and property, and increasing patrols in regions
plagued by violence and crimes.
He said the campaign to eradicate organized crime should be
continued and officials should try to establish a lasting mechanism
for crime prevention.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)