Good Samaritans to be protected by law

Piloting of supervisory system to be launched

The top legislature on Monday deliberated a draft decision on piloting a supervisory systemreform in Beijing and the provinces of Shanxi and Zhejiang.

The draftwas submitted for reviewby legislators at the NationalPeople’sCongress StandingCommittee, which runs fromMonday to Sunday.

According to the draft, newsupervision committees will be established in the three areas to produce an integrated supervision systemthat will be more authoritative and efficient.

The newsupervision committee will integrate the supervision departments and the corruption prevention department, as well as people’s procuratorate departments for handling bribery and dereliction of duty cases or prevention of duty-related crimes, the draft said.

Ethnic medicine to get more support

Adraft lawenhancing traditional Chinese medicine’s role in China’s medical systemwill support ethnic medicine in the country.

According to the draft, tabled for a third reading at the bimonthly session of the NationalPeople’sCongress StandingCommittee, the government will enhance support, innovation, application and developmentaswell as professional training in ethnic minority medicine.

The government will step up the establishment of medical institutions practicing ethnic minority medicine and provide better training for practitioners, it said.

Ethnic autonomous regions should also create their ownmeasures to develop local ethnic minority medicine in accordance with relevant laws, the draft said.

Military officer system reform gets underway

China will build a rankcentered military officer system, a senior officer said on Monday.

Zhang Yang, amemberof theCentral MilitaryCommission and head of the PoliticalWorkDepartment of the commission, said the move is part of reform of the military officer system.

The rank-centered military officer systemis fit for the construction of a modern armed force, Zhang toldmembers of the StandingCommittee of the National People’sCongress.

Whendelivering a report to the top legislature on the adjustment of relevant laws during the reform, Zhang said military rank will reflect officers’ capabilities, identities and status, and that officers’ career development will be based on military rank.

Good Samaritans shall not be liable for damages caused to those being helped during emergency rescue efforts, the top legislature said.

ThelatestdraftoftheGeneral Rules of Civil Law, which was submittedtotheStandingCommittee of the National People’s Congress for a third reading on Monday, added the clause, which is aimed at inspiring the public to be more morally conscious and states that good Samaritans should not bear civil responsibility for damages to those being helped, except in cases of gross negligence.

Wang Lei, an associate law professor at China Youth University ofPolitical Studies, said: “The extra clause is to protect the civil rights of good Samaritans, reducing concerns about whether emergency actions may cause damages to others.”

But the draft did not clarify which situations are defined as gross negligence.

Wang said that the current draft is an important step to help courts deal with such disputes, “but the added clause does not mean good Samaritans can be exempted from all and any damage they bring to those being helped”.

The draft of the General Rules of Civil Law also includes extra clauses to protect civil rights.

The draft stipulates that civil subjects can exercise their rights according to their own will and without interference.

After the levying and requisition of real estate and personal property, in the public interest, civil subjects should be justly and appropriately compensated, according to the draft.

In addition, the draft stipulates that civil affairs departments and neighborhood or village committees should assume guardianship if no one is qualified to do so. Xinhua contributed to this story.