Corruption in Yulin-Will You Help Stop It?

As you know, members of the social media group, #StopYuLin2015, which I am a part of, have been writing to you, President Xi and several Departments in YuLin, for months pleading for intervention in permanently stopping the YuLin Dog Meat Festival. As one of China’s leaders, I understand anything to do with “meat dogs” is a delicate subject for Chinese officials. However, as a concerned global citizen, I ask on behalf of the people of China, and their friends around the world, that you cancel the YuLin festival and what it represents from a public relations nightmare. Hope you understand this is not about animal rights but Chinese laws the that are being broken andChina's public health.

My logic for requesting your intercession is simple.

The festival is based on corruption, which has been a focus of your administration and your attempt to purge this behavior within the PRC. Since China doesn’t have any meat dog farms, it has been widely reported that nearly all the dogs sacrificed for the YuLin festival are stolen, beloved family pets. Is this not a clear example of corruption? Surely it is not legal in Chinese Laws to steal someone else’s property?

According to Chapter Three, Section V, Article 100 of the Chinese Constitution, it states:

Article 100. Adoption of local law

The people's congresses of provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government and their standing committees adopt local regulations, which must not contravene the Constitution and the law and administrative rules and regulations, and they shall report such local regulations to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record.

According to the Chinese Constitution, Chapter 2, Article 39:

Article 39. Inviolability of the home

The residences of citizens of the People's Republic of China are inviolable. Unlawful search of, or intrusion into, a citizen's residence is prohibited.

Since dogs are being stolen from a citizen’s residence and sold in YuLin during the festival, isn’t YuLin in violation of Chapter Three, Section V, Article 100 of the Chinese Constitution, because they are allowing Article 39 to be broken?? Doesn’t this make the festival unconstitutional?

The animals being slaughtered at the festival are not properly quarantined, which according to theMinistry of Agriculture regulation issued in 2013, a quarantine certificate is required. Since one (1) certificate costs between 200 and 300 yuan, and is only valid for one dog or cat, dealing in a large number of animals would require highly costly certificates. The slaughter houses refuse to abide by the laws, as that would reduce their profitability. Since authentic quarantine certificates will not be produced to government officials during the festival, doesn't that mean Chinese Criminal Laws are being broken?

The festival is a public health disaster waiting to happen. The high potential for rabies in these slaughterhouse conditions has been well documented. It only seems ethical to take a proactive vs. reactive approach to safeguarding the local public. What is logical about having to react to further outbreak of rabies when it is clear these health conditions can be eliminated?

Public mass culls have been mentioned as a means to control the spread of rabies but clearly that approach is not preventing rabies infestation into the people in YuLin.

I urge the Ministry staff members to consider the information in the following two links regarding rabies. The first one is from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the second one is from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, located in the database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

http://www.wpro.who.int/china/mediacentre/factsheets/rabies/en/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183421/

According to WHO, “Currently most of the human rabies cases are reported in the southeastern part of China.” (Fact’s located under the “History of Rabies in China” section, fourth one down in that section)

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, there’s been a “Re-emergence of human rabies has mainly occurred in rural areas of Guangxi since 1996.” The re-emergence of rabies is directly related to the start of the YuLin Dog Meat Festival, which claims to have been started in the late 1990’s.

Over the past several years, the YuLin festival has been able to occur despite the government’s claim they are not endorsing it. Indeed that may be true, but it is the role of government to protect its citizens from ingesting tainted food. Selective enforcement of the laws, or enforcement discretion is not in the best interest of Chinese citizens, especially in YuLIn.

It is cited throughout the Chinese Constitution that the public health is to be protected, as evidenced in Chapter Three, Section V, Article 107 of the Constitution, which comes from the part of the Constitution related to the autonomous regions:

Article 107. Powers

Local people's governments at and above the county level, within the limits of their authority as prescribed by law, conduct administrative work concerning the economy, education, science, culture, public health, physical culture, urban and rural development, finance, civil affairs, public security, nationalities affairs, judicial administration, supervision and family planning in their respective administrative areas, issue decisions and orders; appoint or remove administrative functionaries, train them, appraise their performance and reward or punish them.

The YuLin Government has the power and authority to shut down this festival and it is their duty to do so otherwise they are in violation of the Chinese Constitution. However there are still reports that slaughterhouses are killing dogs over night. This is undoubtedly related to corruption. If the local officials are not doing their job to stop the crimes, then these officials should be examined for corruption.

Finally, attached is a list of links to over 35 articles appearing in the international press beginning with Monday 6/1/2015. This should demonstrate to China the ever growing awareness of the YuLin Dog Meat Festival and how it is negatively reflected on the country. Please consider the shutdown of this festival as the best action to protect the people and end the brutality of behavior exacted on the family pets of the people of Yulin.

Link to list of articles: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GSmJ3Fop50f-aDepEsi4YDG1ZMszoxqtGewBkrxXyLM/edit

Please Premier Li, I understand the dichotomy China is faced with relative to eating dogs and hope it is recognized that the west is not trying to tell the citizens China how to live their lives but the health of the Chinese citizens is being compromised and Chinese Criminal Laws are being broken because a festival based on corruption is being allowed to continue.

After all the evidence that’s been provided, don’t you think it’s time to put end to the YuLin Dog Meat Festival by reminding the YuLin government that according to the Chinese Constitution, it’s their duty to protect their citizens?

Sincerely,

Su Myat Moe
North Dagon,Yangon
Myanmar