Reuters AlertNet Lite - New China law on disasters aims at transparency

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New China law on disasters aims at transparency

30 Aug 2007 13:12:57 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Chinese officials will be legally obligated to provide accurate and timely information about public emergencies that occur in their regions under new legislation passed on Thursday.

Under the Emergency Response Law, media organisations could also lose their business licences for publishing false reports, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

But a provision in an earlier draft that would have imposed fines on media that reported emergencies without authorisation was dropped after heated debate among lawmakers, some of whom argued that it could be used to stall the release of information.

"People's governments in charge of coping with an emergency should provide coordinated, accurate and timely information on the emergency and its development," Xinhua quoted the law as saying.

Lawmakers said the new law, to take effect from Nov. 1, would help minimise losses and prevent minor mishaps from turning into major public crises.

It is not uncommon in China for authorities or company managers to try to cover up unpleasant news, and whistle-blowers, newspapers or citizens who try to expose cover-ups are often silenced, harassed and even jailed.

The law also states that "units and individuals are prohibited from fabricating or spreading false information regarding emergencies and government efforts to cope with emergencies".

Government officials will incur administrative punishments for providing inaccurate information, but if their behaviour contravenes criminal statues or rules governing public security they will face prosecution, the report said.

China faces frequent floods and typhoons, deals with unprecedented levels of industrial accidents and its coal mining industry, the world's deadliest, has already killed more than 2,000 people this year.

In the last month alone, a flood in a mine in the eastern province of Shandong trapped 181 miners, the collapse of a bridge killed at least 64, and a spill of molten aluminium at a foundry killed 16.

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Last updated:Thu Aug 30 13:12:44 2007