The couple, respectively surnamed Lin and Li, were both forced to receive reeducation through labor for three years on charges of disturbing social order. To date, they have been in separate reeducational centers for one year.

"The government is very considerate to arrange a family reunion," Lin said. "In the future, we will try our best to obey the law and transform ourselves so that we can shorten our terms."

An official with the city's reeducation-through-labor bureau said that on Thursday the bureau arranged family reunions for seven couples who are receiving reeducation.

The couples had a reunion dinner, chatted and watched television.

In 2002, there were no escapes or unnatural deaths in Beijing's reeducation-through-labor centers, the official said.

In China, those who commit misdemeanors are normally put into reeducation-through-labor centers instead of being given prison terms.

(People's Daily January 31, 2003)