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Punish cops for custody deaths
Chen Xujin, a criminal suspect, died at a detention center in Xiushui county, Jiangxi province, on Tuesday. Police say Chen slipped in the toilet and fainted, and died a few hours later. But his relatives allege that he was beaten to death, because his body bore many injuries.
Many prisoners and criminal suspects have died of unusual causes. One died while “playing hide and seek”, another died after “drinking cooked water” and a third after “having a nightmare”.
These odd police explanations are just excuses, because the victims are likely to have died after being beaten up by other prisoners or even policemen. And police have made up stories to conceal the facts and have thus become a laughing stock on the Internet. The main reason for the prison or detention center deaths is the careless and indifferent attitude of police toward prisoners and suspects. It is high time the government spelled out the law to protect suspects’ rights and hand down to policemen who violate them. Suspension is a very light sentence for causing a person’s death, even if he is a criminal suspect.
Jin Fei Xi Bi, via e-mail
GM food debate welcomed
I have been following the genetically modified (GM) food debate both from European and Asian perspectives since 1985. There is a certain cultural bias in the protests in Western countries against GM research in other regions.
Take the inclusion of beta-carotene in rice as an example. Vitamin A deficiency is common in regions where rice is the staple. Fortifying rice with beta-carotene would increase the nutrition content of rice substantially. If GM seeds can help us grow such food, and research in that field is going on, then we should give the development of such products the green light. I believe the media have their own responsibilities in this matter. It is good that the media pay attention to this debate, but they should not take sides. I have noted that recently the Chinese press, especially the more popular evening papers or consumer oriented publications, has been very critical of GM foods. But China Daily has done a good job the past few weeks, by giving ample space to the debate on GM foods that reflects the opinions of both sides of the divide.
Peter Peverelli, on China Daily website
