From UPI Asia Online:
The city government of Shouguang in China’s Shandong province recently banned an organization of volunteers. Members of this group visited lonely and widowed elderly people and helped children who could not continue their education. The group had grown from three people to over 150 people in just three months.
While the group’s activities were greatly appreciated by local citizens, it failed to find a government body willing to act as its sponsor. This meant it could not legally register and was forced to disband.
At the end of last year, the city of Shenzhen in southern China also banned two groups, the Shenzhen Association for Migrant Workers and the Shenzhen Laborers Mutual Help Association. This action closed the channels through which ordinary people, especially underprivileged migrants, could help themselves and help each other. [Full Text]
Hu Xingdou (胡星斗) is professor of economics and China issues at the Beijing Institute of Technology, and an expert on social problems.