Juvenile courts planned for
city
GUANGZHOU: Special courts to deal with juvenile delinquency will be
established in two-tier courts in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.
Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court issued a special notice, late last
week, to require courts in the city's districts and suburban cities to quickly
start the preparation work and establish the special courts within the year.
Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court has set up a special task force to
help guide and handle the establishment of the special juvenile courts across
the southern metropolis, according to a court official.
"The establishment of the special juvenile courts aims to reform and
further improve the judicial system for the under-aged and further protect the
legal rights of juvenile delinquents," said court official Liu Xiaomei.
The special juvenile courts will handle only cases involving immature
suspects or cases where juvenile defendants account for more than 50 per cent of
those on trial. The juvenile courts will hold hearings on all criminal, civil
and executive cases involving underage defendants.
2nd Sea World Int' l. Food Festival Soon to Come in SZ
Shenzheners and tourists will be able to taste excellent beer and good food
of different flavors around the world while enjoying music and dancing
performances at the Second Sea World International Food Festival, which will be
held at the Sea World Square in Shekou, Shenzhen between Oct. 27 and 31.
As part of the selection activity of the Most Popular Foreign Restaurants
in Shenzhen, the event is jointly held by the Shenzhen Daily, China Merchants
Real Estate (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Tian' an Honlux Enterprise
Development Co. Ltd.
The festival will invite some world famous beer brands to serve at the
spot. Diners will also be able to pick their favorites among some 20 foreign
cuisines in the more than 50 restaurants that feature cuisines of Japan, South
Korea, Southeast Asia, America and Europe. On-the-spot cooking demonstrations
will be organized to promote the cuisines around the world. Big discounts will
be offered for a series of dishes.
Jazz, ballad and exotic dances will add a festive atmosphere to the gala.
The event aims to help boost the image of the Sea World Square, a catering
magnet for local diners and tourists.
Guangdong's first TCM Museum to Open Soon
The first phase of construction for Guangdong's first modern traditional
Chinese medicine museum "Shennong Herbal House" will be completed soon. The
first phase construction covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters. It is
estimated that over 10 million yuan has been invested into this project.
Visitors will be able to appreciate 365 kinds of natural medicinal herbs
while strolling in this open-air museum. Many precious books about Chinese
medicine will also be available in this house. "Shennong Herbal House" is the
first open-air museum featuring a collection of Chinese medicine in China. (By
Vivian)
Autism Society calls for awareness
SHENZHEN: The Shenzhen Autism Society (SAS) launched a week-long project in
this southern city to call on the public to care for people with autism on
Sunday.
It gained support from other non-governmental organizations devoted to
helping children with autism in 12 Chinese provinces and cities including Hong
Kong, Beijing and Northeast China's Changchun.
During the week, Shenzhen Autism Society will host a series of forums to
advise the teachers and parents to give proper guidance to autistic children.
Though the word was first used in the English language by Swiss
psychiatrist Eugene Bleuler in 1912, autism, which comes from the Greek word for
"self," remains a strange term for most Chinese.
Resulting from a neuron-developmental disorder, autistic persons usually
have difficulty in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction, and
leisure or play activities. Currently, it can not be cured but rehabilitation
training improves living skills.
Liao Xin is the mother of a 26-year-old son with autism.
There is a Chinese saying, "Raise children as a safeguard against the
insecurity of the old age."
But Liao prays she can live as long as possible to take care of her son.
Liao has to accompany her grown-up son all the time.
Besides his unexpected screaming and laughing on the street, her son
sometimes runs toward strangers, men or women, and plays with their shirt
buttons or bag zippers.
The frightened people, especially women, thinking they are being assaulted,
shout at him and call the police despite his mother's apologies.
"I am nearly 60. I don't know how much time is left for me. When I die, who
will take care of my son for me?" asked the desperate mother with grey hair and
deep wrinkles. Her husband passed away a couple years ago. She and her son now
live on her meagre retirement pension.
Currently there are not many government-funded programmes or
infrastructures for people with autism in China though the group has been
expanding.
The number has grown from one child in 15,000 in 1980s to one in 1,000,
said SAS Chairman Fu Tengxiao.
The central government officially listed autism as a mental disability
early this year and pledged to allocate more resources to this group.
"Thirty mainland cities have been selected as pilot cities to study
effective ways to help rehabilitate people with autism," Fu told China Daily.
"Since it's a new policy, we hope the group can enjoy more free training
starting from next year."
Liao Yanhui, secretary-general of SAS, who has an 11-year-old boy with
autism, said it is also important for families to gain understanding and
sympathy from the community.
"It will be good for children with autism to meet different people and for
the community to understand and tolerate their abnormal behaviours," Liao said.
But she is still always blamed for not curbing her son's outbursts, and
kindergartens and schools refuse to enrol the boy.
"It's a life-long war for mothers like me. The government should do more to
provide quality rehabilitation when they are young and provide employment
opportunities or caring homes when they are growing up," Liao said.
在广东，每年2万人自杀身亡，其中七成为抑郁症患者。深圳自闭症康复研究会从10日开始发起了一个为期一周的活动, 号召公众关心自闭症患者的身心健康。
发起人廖艳晖
