China vows to punish officials who fuel unrest

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has vowed to punish officials who cause mass unrest by mishandling public complaints, according to new rules on handling petitions and riots that implicitly acknowledge problems with official misconduct.

With the Chinese government eager to present a national image of prosperous harmony at the Beijing Olympics just two weeks away, Chinese Communist Party leaders have launched a massive drive to stifle potential protests.

But a ripple of riots in several parts of the country has exposed continued discontent, and local police and officials have long faced intense pressure to quell unrest swiftly and harshly.

In June, thousands of residents rioted and torched police and government buildings in Weng'an, Guizhou province, after claims spread that police covered up the rape and murder of a girl.

In another clash over the weekend in Yunnan province, two people were killed when 500 rubber farmers armed with knives fought police, injuring 41 officers.

But the new rules on handling petitions from aggrieved citizens, issued late on Thursday, threaten demerit, demotion or dismissal for officials who "gravely harm the public's interests, sparking major problems in petitioning or mass incidents".

"Mass incidents" is an official euphemism for protests and riots.

Officials who "violate laws and regulations in using police force to handle mass incidents, misuse police equipment or coercive measures or violate procedures about carrying and using weapons" also face punishment, state the rules issued by state media and on the central government website ( www.gov.cn ).