Rural areas bypassed

THE fifth "speed-up" of China's railway system from April 18 created a stir in society and the media praised the move which will make train travel much more convenient.

However, a commentator named Chen Dong said that on second thoughts he found that of the 19 routes enjoying the faster track times, 18 were between Beijing and another big city and the other was between Tianjin and Shanghai.

In his article on www.people.com.cn Chen said that migrant workers from rural areas could not benefit from the faster times at all. Furthermore, of the 19 routes, there were almost no stops in intermediate cities and towns which could also lead to transportation problems in those cities.

He said that every year, the number of passengers reached a peak during long holidays especially the Spring Festival, with migrant workers and students making up most of the passengers. However, Chen said, the "speed-up" to some extent ignored the needs of these people.

Aid to migrant workers

A LOCAL court in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has ordered a disabled and impoverished migrant worker to pay 14,800 yuan (US$1,789) in attorney's fees to Zhou Litai, a lawyer well-known for providing legal aid to migrant workers injured at work.

According to the Southern Metropolis Daily, Zhou did not charge the workers until the cases were settled. To help the penniless workers, Zhou shouldered the responsibility of feeding them.

However, when the workers won compensation from their bosses, half vanished without paying Zhou anything.

Guo Zhenqing, a columnist, wrote in the Worker's Daily that migrant workers were usually considered to be the weaker party in society. However, as regards honesty, every citizen should be equal, otherwise China's moral system would collapse.

He urged the authorities to pay more attention to raising workers' level of awareness of their legal rights.

Good from corruption

SOME scholars expressed their sorrow after a gold stamp belonging to Li Zhen, a corrupt official who was sentenced to death, was auctioned off for 165,000 yuan (US$19,952).

Li had worked as secretary to Cheng Weigao, another corrupt official who was also the former Party Secretary of North China's Hebei Province.

According to an anonymous opinion, a writer expressed disagreement with the scholars' sorrow.

The writer cited Wang Jingwei who had been called a "quisling" yet because he excelled at calligraphy, his works were considered masterpieces. Can people say the collectors of Wang's calligraphy are also traitors?

The writer said that travellers to Beijing like to go to the Summer Palace. The palace was rebuilt with money which should have been spent on the Navy in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

He said that putting corrupt officials' property up for auction was a way to reduce the damage caused to the country. (Star News)