China publicized a revised regulation on petitions Monday, aiming to strengthen protection of petitioners' legitimate rights. The revised regulation will take effect as of May 1.

The State Council, China's cabinet, promulgated a regulation on petitions as early as in 1995. But as the reform deepened and society underwent a transition, new problems that emerged during the past ten years required the regulation on petitions be revised.

Officials of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Bureau for Letters and Calls on Monday acknowledged that problems exist in the current work of handling petitions, such as inadequate channels, lack of supervision, and officials whose malpractice ledto petitions escaping responsibility.

To guarantee the citizens' legitimate right to make petitions, the revised regulation stipulates in the chapter of general principle that "No organization or individual is allowed to retaliate petitioners; the offender will be held to account for his deed."

The regulation also stipulates that governments at all levels should publicize the address, email address and phone number of their petitions organizations and arrange leading government officials to receive petitioners face to face regularly.

Zhou Zhanshun, former director of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls once said more than 80 percent petitions in China were reasonable and more than 80 percent of them could be solved by local governments but they failed to do so.

To ensure grassroots petitions be solved at local levels and avoid petitioners coming to Beijing to pour their grievances, the revised regulation demands a transparent petitions handling system be set up.

The regulation says petitions offices at all levels should make full use of the governmental affairs information networks, which link the central government and local governments, to allow citizens raising petitions and seeking results of their petitions at network terminals.

The regulation also says governments at all levels should take handling of petitions as a yardstick to assess civil servants.

The regulation stresses that officials who violate petitioner's legitimate rights by abusing their powers will be disciplined or ascertained legal responsibility in serious cases.

While fully protect petitioners' legitimate rights, the regulation also requires petitioners shoulder their duties to maintain social stability.

The regulation says petitioners who blockade government departments, interrupt transportation, carry hazardous objects, insult or beat officials, or cheat money through organizing petitions, will be punished according to law.

Source: Xinhua