Bean-curd construction

YESTERDAY the Chengdu intermediate courtfound rights activist Tan Zuoren guilty ofinciting subversion of state power and jailedhim for five years. He was arrested for investigatingbean-curd school construction in Sichuan (afflictedwith a disastrous quake). However, the verdict showshe was jailed for an article about June 4 he hadpublished. His is another case of jailing a citizen for hiswritings that has followed Liu Xiaobo's conviction.Tan Zuoren was tried on August 12 last year.

There is no way any outsider can find out why thecourt did not hand down the verdict until almost half ayear had elapsed. The mainland judiciary works for theParty. Some analysts say the authorities had him jailedfor his article about June 4 because they wanted todivert attention and avoid upsetting those whosechildren were killed in their schools when the quake hit.If they are correct, the authorities' attitude may becorroborating evidence that large numbers of studentsfell victim to bean-curd school construction.

The authorities have come to the conclusion thatthe quake was of such an extraordinary magnitude thatthe high death toll should not be attributed tobean-curd school construction. That is not believed, fornear school buildings that had crumbled stood schoolbuildings that had only been slightly damaged.

Whether a school building will collapse in anearthquake depends on how well-built it is. In rubble ofschools that had crumbled, no rebars could be seen.Can people believe they were built to the designedspecifications or their children indeed fell victim to anatural disaster?

We do not know if any people of high ideals willpersevere with bean-curd construction investigations.However, unless the Communist Party of China (CPC)gives the people an adequate explanation, the peoplecan never forget the man-made tragedy of more than5,000 students being killed in bean-curd schoolshowever beautiful the rebuilt afflicted areas may be. Ifcorrupt officials and unscrupulous contractors who areto blame for bean-curd construction are let off, whocan say for certain the schools they have rebuilt are upto standard?

The authorities owe it to those killed in theearthquake to reveal the whole truth about thebean-curd construction affair. However, a moreimportant purpose of doing so is to prevent similartragedies. It is indeed regrettable and infuriating thatthe CPC just tries to repress those who work forChina's progress by having them arrested and putbehind bars.

The authorities imposed a blackout about TanZuoren's case. Sichuan police officers tried to obstructHong Kong reporters in the course of their duty. Therecan be no greater folly than this.

It is certain that they did so by order of theirsuperiors. At the World Media Summit, which tookplace last October in Beijing, President Hu Jintao toldexecutives of 135 Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan andother non-mainland media organisations that theChinese government would continue to protect foreignjournalists' and media groups' lawful rights and do whatwould make it easier for them to gather news in China.

What Sichuan police officers did to reportersyesterday runs counter to the spirit of what Hu Jintaosaid at the World Media Summit. The mainlandauthorities must hasten to set things right. Scenes ofSichuan police officers' abominable behaviour havebeen broadcast globally. They have aroused scorn andbadly damaged China's image. China's poor humanrights record contrasts too starkly with its economicachievements. We again call on the CPC to bring thenation onto the road to democracy, freedom and therule of law with the wisdom and boldness it displayedwhen it embarked on the reform drive so that China willstand tall and command true respect in the world.