Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- China's public security organs at all levels are being urged to put greater efforts into handling petitions to safeguard citizen's lawful rights and create a favorable environment for the upcoming Olympics.

    Yang Huanning, Public Security deputy minister, said during a national tele-conference on Thursday on handling petitions that "channels for people to air grievance must be broadened."

    Through mid-September, in provinces and municipalities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning and Shandong, which will host or co-host the Beijing Olympic Games, leading officials of every city and county-level public security bureaus should handle public petitions and complaints themselves.

    Public security organs at provincial and municipal levels will organize supervision groups to inspect and help the grassroots petition and complaint-handling work, so as to minimize the number of petitioners who appeal to upper-level organizations or go to Beijing for airing grievances.

    Yang stressed public security organs at all levels should provide encouragement to uncover and correct their own mistakes, should not turn a blind eye to flaws in their work, or even, cover up problems and shirk responsibility.

    He urged them to work out methods to thoroughly solve problems raised by citizens by cooperating with governmental departments and Party committees.