China's top legislature on Saturday repealed entry and exit
permits for the transport of corpses to simplify procedures for
public convenience and to enhance government administration
efficiency.
The 31st session of the Standing Committee of the National
People's Congress (NPC) approved the amendment to the Border
Quarantine Law.
It stipulated that "a consignor or an agent for the transport of
a corpse or human remains into or out of the country must declare
the matter to a frontier health and quarantine office; transport
thereof, in either direction across the border, shall not be
allowed until sanitary inspection proves satisfactory."
In other words, a related administrative permit will not be
required. The move is believed to be part of the government's
reform of administrative procedure for examination and
approval.
The legislative session also adopted an amendment to the
Cultural Relics Protection Law, exempting three items from
administrative approval by the central government.
The reconstruction of unmovable cultural relics, the use of
state-owned commemorative buildings and ancient buildings for other
purposes rather than museums and visiting places, and the borrowing
and lending of first-rate cultural relics can be permitted by
provincial governments instead of the central government, according
to the amendment.
It also simplified the administration procedures for state-run
museums to exchange cultural relics for exhibition and scientific
research.
(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2007)