Chinese government guide to beating civilians published online

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Chinese government guide to beating civilians published online
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25373907-2703,00.html
Jane Macartney | April 23, 2009

EXTRACTS from a government manual on how to beat troublemakers without leaving physical evidence have emerged in China.

Details from the official publication were posted on the internet by acivil servant and published in one of the country's most daringnewspapers.

Oneof the most controversial passages reads: "In dealing with the subject,take care to leave no blood on the face, no wounds on the body, and nowitnesses in the vicinity."

The guide appears to be aimed atlocal government enforcers known as chengguan, who are often involvedin public confrontations in their main role of removing unlicensedstreet vendors and checking permits. They play a de facto lawenforcement role and have attracted criticism for their heavy-handedand frequently violent methods.

A local government officialtold the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper that he had posted theextracts online after buying a copy on sale openly at a governmentbookshop.

Some of the contents, such as avoiding leaving markson a subject, were "inappropriate", he said. "I was shocked ... thesethings used to be spread by word of mouth, but now they're out in theopen. Things like how to protect yourself and how to hit people."

Anydoubts as to whether the contents of the handbook - The Practice ofCity Administrator Law Enforcement - were authentic were laid to restwhen the Southern Metropolis Daily obtained confirmation from theGovernment in Beijing. It quoted an official of the Beijing MunicipalBureau of City Administration and Law Enforcement as saying that hisoffice was the author of the book.

He voiced surprise thatportions had been posted online, asking: "Who put it up on the net? Howdid internal material come to be discussed outside?"

Among themost controversial recent incidents involving chengguan occurred earlylast year when a group of officers attacked a passer-by who had pausedto film them on his mobile phone as they scuffled with rural residentstrying to stop a lorry making a delivery at a rubbish dump that theywanted closed.

The officials turned on Wei Wenhua, 41, themanager of a construction company, and beat and kicked him to death.Four men were jailed for terms of between three and six years for hiskilling.