From China Daily 27/5

Ease social tensions Several recent crimes have caught nationwide attention and caused tension between grass-root officials and the common people. To address the consequent public indignation and enable harmonious development of social relations, the authorities should strengthen self-discipline and respect the rights of people, says an article in the China Youth News. Excerpt: When Deng Yujiao, a waitress in an entertainment joint in Badong county, Hubei province, stabbed an official to death when forced to provide "special service", the public showed unanimous sympathy for her, and even called her "a heroine against rapists". Apparently, the official's rude conduct in this case brings to public memory the corrupt and oppressive image of local officials as a whole, and therefore the nationwide outrage caused by the incident. Similar cases continue to keep strengthening this negative image. With powerful and bullying officials on one side pitted against weak and underprivileged people on the other, tension runs deep. Public anger is swiftly and repeatedly ignited whenever there is a new case of the same kind anywhere else. This shows deepening fissures in the social structure. Yet the phenomena should be attributed to none other than the local officials themselves. Instead of representing and protecting people's interests, they have become a great threat to public security and social justice. Many of them abuse their power and deprive the common people of their rights in the name of economic construction. In order to repair the fissures and develop the basis for a harmonious society, authorities must ensure that the rights of the people at the lowest social and economic levels are protected.   It's dangerous to ape celebrities blindly   Comment on the article, "Pop singer, wife detained for using drugs" (China Daily Website, May 21, 2009) Youngsters have always tried to copy their idols. Considering the social influence celebrities wield, they should act in a more responsible way. But that is not always the case. Most of the time, pop stars exhibit a perfect image. But the public doesn't know what they are like in real life. That's why we are shocked time and again by news about some celebrities involved in a scam. The drug scandal involving pop singer Man that came to light recently reminds us that celebrities are not always what they appear to be. I think it is necessary to tell youngsters, especially our kids, who idolize one celebrity or the other not to follow their idols blindly. There's no harm in being a fan of their songs or their performances. But youngsters should be taught to distinguish between right and wrong, and told that a good lyricist, singer or performer may not necessarily be a good person in private life. A Reader On China Daily Website Fewer students in class for safety Comment on the article, "Smaller classroom, safer student" (China Daily, May 14) People across the country observed the first anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake recently. Many schools organized quake rescue drills to train students and teachers how to react in an emergency, and many school buildings damaged in the quake are being rebuilt. There are proposals to reduce the number of students in a classroom so that they can easily run to safety in an emergency. But in my hometown in Hunan province, it is common to see rather small classrooms with as many students as possible. Some of them are crowded especially because students who fail the college entrance exam stay back in class to prepare for next year. Such classes are more common in small towns. A classroom measuring about 80 sq m normally has 200 students. With so many desks and chairs, there's hardly any space left in such a classroom for students to move. The aisles are too narrow, and the backdoors cannot be opened since they are blocked by desks and chairs. It could take more than 10 minutes to evacuate all the students even during an emergency. I can't imagine what will happen if a quake were to hit. Making maximum use of education resources is advisable, but the safety of students and teachers should come first. We should learn a lesson from the Sichuan quake and eliminate potential risks in schools across the country. I appeal to all schools to ensure that there are as few students as possible in a classroom so that they and the teachers can run to safety in case of an emergency.