HONG KONG — Strange things are happening in the Chinese media. Articles that would normally be expected to be censored have appeared in the establishment press, exposing the possibly illegal behavior of Communist Party officials.
For example, the Beijing News, a state-owned newspaper, recently ran a story accusing officials in Xintai township in Shandong province of incarcerating in a psychiatric institution people with grievances against the local authorities who wanted to petition the central government in Beijing.
It is time-honored practice for Chinese people with grievances to petition higher levels of authority if they cannot obtain satisfaction in their locality. The capital, with organizations such as the State Bureau of Letters and Calls, is the ultimate destination of aggrieved people across the country.