Published by: World Tibet Network News, Tuesday, May 28 1996

Source: `Xizang Ribao', Lhasa, in Chinese 11 May 96 p1

Excerpts from report by Chinese regional newspaper from Tibet `Xizang Ribao' of a televised speech by Bai Zhao, president of the Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court, at a news briefing on crime crackdown on 10th May

Recently, the party's Central Committee has issued a series of important directives on maintaining social order and stability, demanding concentrated efforts to wage an early struggle against serious criminal activities. To carry out arrangements of the party's Central Committee and the regional party committee, we convened a sentencing rally in Lhasa this morning to openly pronounce verdicts on 21 criminals, according to law. This action, an important measure in waging the struggle against serious crimes, will certainly win the people's wholehearted support.

Currently, the whole region enjoys political stability, economic development, social progress and national unity, scoring major achievements in consolidating border defence and in resisting splittism. However, the situation regarding social order remains very serious, with criminal gangs with secret society characteristics, hooligans and evil forces engaging in all kinds of criminal activities in some areas, markedly pushing up rates of such serious, vicious crimes as murder, assault, robbery and rape. Meanwhile, the continued spread of evil phenomena, including prostitution, whoring and drug trafficking, has not only posed a serious threat to the people's personal safety, property and social stability, but has also blocked the smooth process of reform and opening up, and economic construction. Cherishing an undying hatred for the crime situation, the people demanded stronger crackdown measures and severer punishment against serious crimes according to law. It is only through resolutely cracking down on the

arrogant criminals and suppressing the rise of crime rates that a fine political and social environment can be created...

In their struggle against serious crimes, the people's courts at various levels should speed up proceedings of various criminal offences prejudicial to social order, deal heavy blows at such cases as murder, causing serious harm, robbery, explosion, rape and hooliganism, particularly crimes committed with firearms by gangsters with secret society backgrounds, and other serious offences, including smuggling, drug pushing, inducement and sale of women and children, and other rampant crimes. Those who deserve heavy sentences should be severely punished, while those criminals deserving a death sentence under the law should be resolutely sentenced to death to deal a fatal blow to criminals. In the meantime, the policy of integrating punishment with leniency should be implemented, and - whenever permitted by law - less serious cases posing little harm to society, or criminals taking the initiative to surrender themselves with candid confession and those who help solve cases should be dealt with leniently.

We would like to solemnly and justly warn all law-violating criminals that any criminal activities aimed at sabotaging the motherland's unification, harming national unity and economic order, and causing bodily injuries to the people will be severely punished by the people' s courts. The only alternative open to criminal elements is to honestly surrender themselves to the people's governments and judicial organs as early as possible, with faithful revelation of all relevant facts before pleading for leniency; or face serious punishment. The people's courts will never turn soft in cracking down on serious crimes. It is hoped that the broad masses of the people throughout the region will take positive action to expose the criminals and wage a resolute struggle against all criminal acts, making criminal elements like rats running across the street with nowhere to hide...