About 73,000 people were arrested in the country last year on suspicion of trafficking drugs or other drug-related crimes, 7.7 percent more than 2007, the Ministry of Public Security said on its website yesterday.
Police across the country handled 62,000 cases of drug crimes last year, 9.2 percent higher than in 2007, which led to a crackdown on 1,565 drugs producing and trafficking gangs, the notice said, quoting the National Narcotics Control Commission.
Authorities also destroyed 244 drug-manufacturing factories and units in 2008, an 86.2-percent increase from the previous year. A total of 4.3 tons of heroin, 5.5 tons of "ice" or methamphetamine, and 5 tons of ketamine were seized in the country last year, it said.
Sichuan Province was selected by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection as one of the five provinces to pilot a corruption prevention program. On Auguest 30, Sichuan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection held a provincial working conference on corruption prevention, further elaborated the instructions and arranged detailed tasks. After the meeting, both leading organs and government department selected for the pilot program paid great attention to the work, set up leading groups, get staff ready and have worked out working plans for the pilot program. Generally speaking, the pilot program progresses steadily and shows following features:
1. Leaderships attach great attention to the pilot program. Following the instructions and arrangments of the working conference on corruption prevention, most of leading organs and government departments selected for the pilot program set up leading groups and assigned tasks to specific divisions and staff. Leaders of some cities (prefectures) like Party secretaries of Dazhou City and Liangshan Yi Prefeture took it as a serious task and made important speeches at city (prefecture) working conference on corruption prevention. To date, cities (prefectures) and departments that have set up leading groups and appointed liaison officers include: Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, Nanchong, Neijiang, Leshan, Zigong, Ya'an, Suining, Dazhou, Bazhong, Guang'an, Ziyang, Meishan, Paizhihua, Guangyuan, Luzhou, A'ba, Liangshan and General Office of Provincial Government, Provincial Supreme People's Court, Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Commission for State Asset Management, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Judicial Deparment, Provincial Forestry Department, Provincial Civil Affairs Department, Provincial Department of Land Resources, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Construction Department, Provincial Meteorological Bureau, Provincial Bureau of Geology for Nuclear Industry, Provincial Intellectual Property Office, Provincial Geological Survey Bureau and Relocation Office of the Three Gorges Project directly under the Provincial Government. Cities (prefectures) and departments that have held working conferences or Party committee (Party organization) meetings on corruption prevention to study on how to push forard the program include: Chengdu, Deyang, Mianyang, Neijiang, Leshan, Zigong, Bazhong, Guangyuan, Ziyang, Nanchong, Ya'an, Guang'an, Dazhou, Luzhou, A'ba, Provincial Supreme People's Court, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Civil Affairs Department, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Health Department, Provincial Department of Land Resources, Provincial Bureau of Geology and mineral Resources, Provincial Geological Survey Bureau and Provincial Administration of Prison.
Third, various projects have been launched in different places. Some cities (prefectures) and provincial-level departments have launched their own pilot projects except for that assigned by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Deyang City conducted 7 more pilot project including reform of administrative approval system to ensure appoval to be handled jointly by the relevant departments. Dazhou City has conducted 26 more pilot projects. Operative pilot projects with detailed work plans include: "let more grassroots officials to attend open selection for Party secretaries of townships" and "work out complex assessment and evaluation measures for county, city and district-level Party and government officials under the guidance of Scientific Outlook on Development" launched by Provincial Organizational Department, "establish special rural funding supervision and managment system, Government Business Card system and improve government procurement system" launched by the Provincial Department of Finance, "system to ensure administrative approvals to be handled jointly by the relevant departments" launched by Chengdu City, "punishment mechanism on the breaking of faith by intermediate service organizations" jointly launched by Zigong, Mianyang cities and Provincial Judicial Department and Provincial Civil Affairs Department, "set up neighbourhoods discipline inspection commissions in the county, city or district" launched by cities of Chengdu, Leshan, Suining and Luzhou,
In the southwestern Yunnan province alone, 1.7 tons of drugs were seized from the Golden Triangle, with 2,785 cases being registered.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Xinjiang uncovered 234 drug crimes, seizing 393 kg of heroin from the Golden Crescent, the area overlapping Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
By strengthening coordination with other countries, Chinese authorities uncovered several "extraordinarily serious transnational drug smuggling cases", it said.
Monitoring the illegal cultivation of poppies through the satellite remote sensing technology, the NNCC ensured "zero opium yields" in the country.
Moreover, "a total of 218,000 drug addicts received compulsory rehabilitation, reeducation-through-labor treatment and mandatory quarantine rehabilitation last year", the notice said.
(China Daily February 26, 2009)