FBIS3-26914 "drchi032_k_94012"
FBIS-CHI-94-032 Document Type:Daily Report 16 Feb 1994
NATIONAL AFFAIRS Political & Social

Crime and Punishment in the PRC

For 1-14 Feb

HK1502083594 HK1502083594 Article Type:BFN [Editorial Report] The following is a compilation of reports on crime, investigations, trials, sentencings, and other judicial-related activities in the PRC monitored during the period 1-14 February 1994. The source and mode of processing are given in parentheses at the end of each entry. As evidenced by the stories listed below, during the month PRC crime reportage focused on corruption, economic crimes, and the annual round of executions taking place around Spring Festival.
CENTRAL
Twenty-two Chinese have been executed in the past few days in what has become a traditional clampdown ahead of the Lunar New Year. A total of 13 people were executed in Shanghai on 1 February, all charged with murder and theft. Several more were condemned to death or prison terms. Nine criminals were executed on 29 January in Jinan, and two bank employees were sentenced to death for corruption in Inner Mongolia recently. (Hong Kong AFP in English 1028 GMT 2 Feb 94) More than 200 Chinese have been executed since 1 January, condemned for such crimes as murder, rape, drug trafficking, and financial crimes. The run-up to the Lunar New Year is traditionally used by the government to press the Chinese regional authorities to sentence common-law criminals in order to avoid unrest during the festive season. Amnesty International says it recorded 1,890 death sentences and 1,079 executions in 1992, but believes these numbers to be conservative. (Hong Kong AFP in English 0911 GMT 8 Feb 94) In 1993 public security forces and border guards in Yunnan and Guangxi took effective actions to crack down on firearms and drug trafficking and smuggling. In the whole year, the public security organs and border guards in these two provinces cracked 324 firearms trafficking cases, seizing 374 pieces of military firearms. They also cracked 961 drug trafficking cases, seizing 812.3 kg of opium and 762.5 kg of heroin. The actions totally destroyed 136 criminal gangs. The public security organs and border guard units in these two provinces transferred some 500 people from commanding organs to replenish the troops on active duty. The border inspection stations were on duty 24 hours a day, and strictly examined the vehicles and personnel moving to the interior mainland. On the afternoon of 22 December 1993, the border security checkpoint in Mukang of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture discovered 46.5 kg of heroin divided among three vehicles moving through the border to the interior area. In order to mobilize the masses, the public security and border guard forces in Yunnan and Guangxi also dispatched a large number of police officers to border villages to publicize the government's policy on capturing smuggled drugs and firearms and to build up the police-civilian security network. According to Yunnan's incomplete statistics, in 1993 the masses provided 148 pieces of information for the public security organs and assisted the police force in 193 actions. (Beijing RENMIN RIBAO in Chinese 1 Feb 94 p 3)
PROVINCIAL
Beijing
According to data provided by procuratorial organs in Beijing Municipality, in 1993 the municipal procuratorial organs handled 1,466 corruption and other economic criminal cases, and placed 844 cases on file for investigation and prosecution, including 618 corruption and bribe-taking cases, which accounted for 73.2 percent of the economic criminal cases. One ministerial-level, 10 bureau-level, and 48 section-level corrupt officials were investigated and prosecuted. Last August, procuratorial cadres in Beijing launched an unprecedented anticorruption campaign and they cracked a large number of major corruption and bribe-taking cases in party and government institutions, law enforcement institutions, banking institutions, and economic management institutions. Fourteen major corruption and bribery cases involving an amount of over 1 million yuan were placed on file for investigation and prosecution, 38 corruption cases arising in law enforcement and judicial organs were handled, 128 criminal cases involved officials in various party and government institutions, and 37 criminal cases involved personnel of banking institutions. The procuratorial organs achieved such marked results because the chief procurators at all levels personally organized and directed the handling of all major and serious cases. The leaders of the municipal procuratorate personally took charge of the investigation and prosecution of 22 major cases involving over 1 million yuan of ill-gotten money or involving cadres at and above the bureau level. (Beijing RENMIN RIBAO in Chinese 1 Feb 94 p 3) Public security organs in Beijing Municipality achieved remarkable results in using the news media to issue "wanted" circulars for criminals at large. In 1993 a total of 428 criminals were arrested through such means, which helped crack 520 major criminal cases. (Hong Kong ZHONGGUO TONGXUN SHE in Chinese 0600 GMT 14 Feb 94)
Fujian
In 1993, Fujian's public security organs cracked a total 62 drug- related cases, captured over 220 drug traffickers, and seized 57.2 kg of drugs, as well as over 1.5 million yuan in profits from drug deals. Over recent years, drug-trafficking rings and lawbreakers outside China have opened secret sea smuggling routes into Fujian. Driven by high profits, some wrongdoers inside China are willing to risk their lives and engage in drug trafficking. Since the beginning of this year public security organs of all prefectures, cities, and major counties have stepped up efforts in deploying antidrug police forces and setting up special investigation organs for cracking drug-related cases, while leaders of public security organs at all levels have attached great importance to such investigations. From May to June 1993, public security organs across the province carried out a joint operation and cracked six "ice"-manufacturing dens set up by Taiwan drug dealers in Fuzhou, Putian, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou. On 8 May, the Quanzhou public security organs cracked a drug-trafficking ring involving drug dealers and lawbreakers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the mainland, and seized 36 kg of drugs and heroin. Meanwhile, public security organs in all localities have made great efforts to trace drug sources of drug addicts, and successfully smashed a number of secret dens which "used drug trafficking to finance drug taking." (Fuzhou FUJIAN RIBAO in Chinese 23 Jan 94 p 7) At a 15 January news briefing, He Xiaofang, vice president of the Fujian Provincial People's Court, announced eight cases of serious economic crime out of which 12 people were been sentenced to death, death with reprieve, life imprisonment, and fixed terms of imprisonment. The criminals sentenced to death included: The former first section head of the Foreign Trade Center Group, who embezzled public funds totalling over 640,000 yuan and $170,000, plus another $274,000 by various means; a former employee of the Hushi Credit Cooperative of the Putian Branch of the China Agricultural Bank who embezzled over 240,000 yuan; and a former cadre of the Yongan Branch of the China People's Construction Bank, who embezzled 180,000 yuan. The criminals sentenced to death with reprieved included: A former purchaser of the Shaowu Textile Factory, who embezzled 230,000 yuan of public funds and accepted bribes; a former credit clerk of the Planning and Credit Section of the Fuan Branch of the China Industrial and Commercial Bank, who embezzled over 220,000 yuan; and a secretary of the party branch of Gaodian village in Xiamen, who embezzled over 309,000 yuan. (Fuzhou FUJIAN RIBAO in Chinese 16 Jan 1994 p 1) Eighteen criminals in Changle and Pingtan Counties involved in the smuggling of people have been sentenced to one to five years of imprisonment. The 18 criminals were all "snakeheads." This move is aimed at curbing the activities of illegal emigration from the province and is the biggest campaign for this purpose since the beginning of 1994. Officials have revealed that the province will continue its severe crackdown on these criminal activities. (Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE in English 1532 GMT 9 Feb 94)
Guangdong
Cao Zidong, deputy director of the Public Security Department of Guangdong Province, said on 1 February 1994 that the public security organs last year arrested over 110,000 criminal offenders of all types, an increase of more than 30 percent over the previous year. He also said they cracked over 80,000 criminal cases, including more than 40,000 major cases. Cao Zidong said: Since late December the public security organs have arrested over 2,000 train and bus robbers, and have also arrested more than 18,000 criminals. In this period, railway and highway robbery cases decreased sharply, and criminal cases of other types also decreased to a certain degree. (Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE in Chinese 1248 GMT 1 Feb 94) Guangdong courts at all levels have increased the crackdown on car and train robberies, dealing with some 2,200 cases in 1993. Of the 4,000 criminals involved, 3,040 were given sentences of five years, or even more, including life-in-prison and death sentences, according to Xu Liang, Guangdong Provincial Higher People's Court vice president. Through hearing the aforesaid cases, the court believed that car and train robbery cases in Guangdong were marked by four characteristics: First, cases in this category continued to rise. Second, there was an increase in the incidence of car and train robberies organized by gangs. Third, there was a growth in heinous armed robbery cases, with homicide involved. Fourth, many bandits ran away with help of cars, and they had intelligent and technical ways of committing crimes. (Hong Kong TA KUNG PAO in Chinese 3 Feb 94 p 4) Over the past month or so, public security organs in Shanwei City, Guangdong, cracked 16 criminal cases of train and road banditry, arrested 38 train bandits and highwaymen, smashed four criminal rings, arrested 19 ring members, and seized three motorcycles, two walking tractors, and a number of tools for committing crimes. In the small hours of 6 January, patrolmen from the Meilong Public Security Sub-Bureau in Haifeng County and from Shanwei City Public Security Bureau arrested nine suspects, including Lin Zhenguo along the Meilong section of the Guangzhou-Shanwei highway, who were about to commit robbery. (Hong Kong ZHONGGUO TONGXUN SHE in Chinese 0600 GMT 14 Feb 94) At a news briefing held in Guangzhou on 2 February, Zeng Tiangui, section head of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, disclosed that some lawbreakers outside the territory had engaged in smuggling and drug-trafficking activities under the cover of running waste material purchasing centers. A major case was ferreted out in Huizhou on 17 December 1993 which involved a gang of seven people who stole more than 1,000 kg of communication cables and disposed of them through a local waste material purchasing center. It has been reported that steel products, and even guns and munitions, have also been stolen and sold to such purchasing centers. (Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE 0700 GMT 2 Feb 94)
Guangxi
Beihai City recently cracked a major bribery case involving two cadres at the department level and three other people who accepted cash and gifts totalling more than 5 million yuan. Huang Qilong, Beihai City's Haicheng District deputy magistrate, and Zhang Guosong, Beihai City Urban Planning Bureau Land Management Department chief, accepted bribes totalling more than 1 million yuan for approving a major land development project. The five people involved in the case have now been arrested in accordance with the law. (Nanning Guangxi People's Radio Network in Mandarin 1130 GMT 8 Feb 94)
Guizhou
The provincial political and legal affairs committee held a news briefing on 31 January at which it announced that in January 1994, a total of 2,020 fugitives were captured and 335 criminal cases were cracked across the province. The public security organs of Guiyang City and Liupanshui City smashed three drug trafficking syndicates and seized more than 3.9 kg of heroin. The Guiyang City Railroad Public Security Department also captured two fugitives who escaped after murdering two accounting clerks in Guiyang on 8 January. (Guiyang Guizhou People's Radio Network in Mandarin 2300 GMT 31 Jan 94)
Henan
The people's courts at all levels across the province held public sentence pronouncement rallies on 25-31 January 1994, and a batch of criminals involved in some major and serious crimes have been punished. The provincial higher people's court yesterday held a news briefing at which Xu Guoping, provincial higher people's court vice president disclosed: Over the past two months, people's courts at all levels across the province have tried a total of 404 criminal cases and sentenced a total of 719 criminals, of whom 464 people have been condemned to death, death with reprieve, or life imprisonment, and 255 people have been sentenced to 10 or more years' imprisonment. Over the past few days several criminals have been executed with a bullet to the head. (Zhengzhou Henan People's Radio Network in Mandarin 2300 GMT 31 Jan 94)
Liaoning
The Shenyang municipal authorities have recently investigated several economic crimes within party and government organizations, law-enforcement departments, and in administrative and economic management departments. The municipal anticorruption bureau recently publicized 12 such cases. The cases involved several leading cadres, including Ma Shiteng, a deputy bureau-level director in the municipal bureau of public security; Yuan Zhiguang, the manager of the Trust and Investment Company Ltd. under the municipal Industrial and Commercial Bank; two division heads of the municipal Bureau of Public Health; and the director of the Bureau of Construction in Liazhong County. (Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE in English 1459 GMT 2 Feb 94)
Ningxia
On 22 January 1994, the Yinchuan City Intermediate People's Court sentenced five criminals to death and three others to life imprisonment. Between February and June 1993, Liu Wenqing and others broke into the homes in Yinchuan and stole goods and cash totalling 44,842 yuan. On 8 September 1993, Li Wei started a quarrel with his colleague Wang Changan and then stabbed him to death. On 28 October 1993, Ji Zhifei stabbed his wife Tang Ruihua to death following a row with her. On 4 July 1993, following their divorce, Ma Bentong wounded six persons and killed another of his wife's family. On 10 September 1993, Fu Jun and his two friends started a fight with a man called Xing and beat him to death following a quarrel. (Yinchuan NINGXIA RIBAO in Chinese 2 Feb 94 p 1)
Shaanxi
The Ankang Railway Public Security Department recently cracked a major transprovincial robbery case and arrested four criminals. Since December 1992, these four criminals had stolen gold, diamond rings, gold ornaments, and goods off of trains in 35 counties in Hubei and Shaanxi Provinces, worth more than 140,000 yuan. (Xian Shaanxi People's Radio Network in Mandarin 0010 GMT 7 Feb 94) Authorities in Shaanxi Province have executed a 31-year-old axe murderer who, spurned by the woman he loved, chopped up her and eight of her relatives. A Shaanxi court sentenced Cheng Tingbin to death on 2 February, and the execution was carried out immediately. (Hong Kong AFP in English 0847 GMT 8 Feb 94)
Shanghai
Prosecutors at various levels recently brought 100 corruption cases to court, in which 110 people were charged with such economic crimes as corruption, bribe-taking, and embezzlement of public funds. A number of responsible officials in party, government, law enforcement, and financial management institutions were involved in these cases and were prosecuted. The ill-gotten money involved in these cases amounted to 24.3 million yuan. (Hong Kong ZHONGGUO TONGXUN SHE in Chinese 0826 GMT 1 Feb 94)
Shanxi
On the morning of 26 January a mass rally was held at the Workers' Cultural Palace in Taiyuan to announce the sentencing of criminal offenders. Lenient treatments were given to 39 offenders who showed repentance and rendered meritorious service, and 18 of them were released immediately. However, severe punishments were meted out to 20 criminals in 13 cases as they obstinately stuck to the wrong course. Three of them were sentenced to death and were immediately executed. Four were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and the other four were sentenced to life imprisonment. A 19-year-old murderer, who was executed, killed his grandfather with a knife and then sold the television set, washing machine, and electric fan from his grandfather's home to a pawn shop for 630 yuan. (Taiyuan SHANXI RIBAO in Chinese 27 Jan 94 p 1) Police in Changzhi City, Shanxi Province have cracked a major drug-trafficking case, seizing 325 kg of caffeine and putting two drug dealers under arrest. The two convicts, who disguised drugs as chicken feed, confessed that they had trafficked drugs five times since the beginning of 1993. At present, the case is under further investigation. (Hong Kong ZHONGGUO TONGXUN SHE in Chinese 0903 GMT 11 Feb 94)
Xian
From 22 to 25 December 1993, various people's courts of Xian sentenced 32 criminals to death and ordered their execution. The criminals included Wang Yaoping, who stabbed a man to death outside a ballroom on 12 March 1992 following a row with him over a dancing partner, and Liu Jingsuo, Li Wumin, Qiao Yonghong, and Zhang Xianfeng, who stole and destroyed transformers and other farm equipment in Xian, Baoji, Weinan and Xianyang from October 1988 to January 1992, causing huge losses. (Xian SHAANXI RIBAO in Chinese 29 Dec 93 p 1)
Yunnan
Party organizations and leading cadres have achieved good results in self-examination and self-correction. So far, 10,682 leading cadres have taken part in special meetings on criticism and self-criticism, accounting for 87 percent of the total number of such cadres. Over 277 of the 470 leading cadres who have second positions in economic bodies have resigned their posts, and 741 leading cadres have accepted gifts and valuable securities, involving a total amount of 193,912 yuan. (Kunming Yunnan People's Radio Network in Mandarin 1000 GMT 7 Feb 94) On 2 February, He Zhanjun, chief procurator of the Yunnan Provincial People's Procuratorate, announced that Shu Kaitai, former deputy director of the provincial personnel department, and He Zizhong, former chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Dehong Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, were arrested for economic crimes. Shu took a total bribe of 200,000 yuan for granting approval of a sale of 500 pieces (jian 0115) of Hongtashan brand cigarettes, while He provided 2 million yuan of public funds to his son for business. Qiu Chuangjiao, president of the Yunnan Provincial Higher People's Court also said today that the court closed 29 serious and important economic cases in 1993. Tan Ye, former cadre of the Kunming blood center, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for embezzling 110,000 yuan of public money; Han Shulin, a recidivist, was sentenced to death for gaining a profit of 1.19 million yuan from selling fake Hongtashan brand cigarettes; and Li Lanzhen, former director of the Kunming Xishan District Food Company sales department, was given a death sentence for embezzling 3.74 million yuan of public funds. (Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE in Chinese 1357 GMT 2 Feb 94)