Chinese legislators highlight public security problems

cctv.com 03-11-2004 16:38

Chinese legislators call for the increased awareness of public security at the ongoing annual session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), as public security problems have claimed 200,000 lives across China in 2003.

Yin Jizuo, a NPC deputy and president of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said Thursday that public security problems caused financial losses equivalent up to 6 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, such as fires, traffic accidents and occurrence of bird flu and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Yin noted that the number of major public security mishaps was on a steady rise in China for years, including natural calamities and those scourges pertained to unemployment, growing rich-poor gap, the work-related accidents, industrial disputes and various crimes.

Public security has been worsening due to a decrease in cropland acreage and an ensuing growing contingent of migrant workers to urban areas, he acknowledged.

Hidden risks at public places in China's urban areas include the lack of a coordinated and powerful emergency network and inadequate attention paid to guarding against and preventing disasters in cities and towns, said the NPC deputy.

Yin referred to some government offices for insufficient funding for public security programs, as China's input in public security accounts merely for 0.7 percent of its gross domestic product, as against 3.3 percent in some Western developed nations.

Other deputies censured some government departments for their failure to enforce laws and regulations concerning public security, including work-related safety.

During his state-of-the-nation address to the NPC full session last week, Premier Wen Jiabao urged greater attention paid to social public security issues that might bear on stability, while the interests of the general public and social stability should be placed high on the agenda.

"Love and care human life and enhance safety supervision," said Chen Changzhi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association. Chen reproached relevant government departments for not having imposing laws and regulations on public security timely and earnestly.

Editor:Wang  Source:Xinhua News Agency