Internet bar

A LAW should be drafted to regulate the operation of Internet bars to better protect the health of teenagers, said Yu Wen, a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC).

Driven by profit, many Internet bars open their doors to teenagers and even provide them with cigarettes and liquor in defiance of government decrees, 54-year-old Yu said. Internet addiction among some teenagers has become a social problem.

China will not approve the opening of new Internet bars in 2007, according to a directive issued by 14 government departments, Xinhua said yesterday.

There are currently about 113,000 Internet bars in China, according to the Ministry of Information Industry.

Tobacco surcharge

HUANG JUN, a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has proposed setting a tobacco surcharge to reduce the huge number of smokers in China.

The surcharge, either to be levied on cigarette producers or sellers, should be used to fund smoking prevention efforts and the treatment of smoking-related diseases, said Huang. He suggested that the provincial government of Jiangsu pilot the surcharge program and order taxation departments to levy 0.1 percent of the sales revenue of the tobacco industry.

Sexual assaults

FAN YI, a deputy to the 10th NPC, has called for amendment to or judicial interpretation of the country’s existing Criminal Law to severely punish those sexually assaulting peoples of the same sex.

“Same-sex sexual assaults seriously harm personal dignity and undermine social morality, but under the current criminal law the offenders often get away with light punishment,” said Fan.

New launch base

IF China is to build a new satellite launch base in its southernmost island province of Hainan, the base will mainly be used for commercial launches, said Wei Liucheng, Hainan’s Party chief and a deputy to the NPC.

“Moreover, the fuel used by the launch vehicles will be free of toxins, harmful materials or pollutants. No nuclear fuel will be used,” said Wei. However, Wei didn’t confirm whether the State has decided to establish the base in Hainan, and refused to give any further details.

Neighbors’ Day

A NATIONAL Neighbors’ Day should be legalized to promote trust among neighbors, Wang Quanjie, a Chinese lawmaker, said yesterday.

Traditionally the Chinese were highly attentive to relations with their neighbors, Wang said. “But rapid urbanization has made people more estranged from others, especially those living in cities.”

Wang said the concept of a Neighbors’ Day could remind people of the importance of good neighborhood relations and promote harmony in communities.

Moon exploration

CHINA possesses the technical capacity to send men to the moon in 15 years, Huang Chunping, the chief launch vehicle designer of the country’s manned spaceflight program, said yesterday on the sidelines of the NPC.

Huang acknowledged that the success of a moon walk depends largely on the development of rocket technology, adding he has “full confidence” in the development of China’s rocket industry. Huang also said that China would launch its first lunar exploration satellite, Chang’e I, in the latter half of this year. The satellite will be sent into space by a Long March 3-A carrier rocket, he said.

The orbiter will provide 3D images of the moon’s surface, probe the distribution of 14 usable elements on the moon, study lunar microwaves and estimate the depth of the moon’s soil.