The Central Military Commission has issued an order threatening expulsions and punishments for those who participate in public demonstrations or in "religious and superstitious" activities.
Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) Beijing has issued a circular which bans military personnel from signing petitions or from taking part in public demonstrations after a wave of protests held by disgruntled veterans. The circular of the Central Military Commission threatens soldiers who disobey the order with penalties or expulsion from the Communist Party.
The document reads: "Those who oppose the absolute leadership of the Communist Party over the army and take part in activities endangering the security of the state and the army will be expelled from the party." According to the circular, even those who join organizations which do not enjoy government approval or who take part in "religious and superstitious activities" will be "severely penalized".
The document is a bid to step up "political discipline" within the People's Liberation Army. An opinion piece published by a Chinese government daily says: "The supplement highlights and strengthens political discipline and outlines clear restrictions and penalties for breaches of conduct that take place easily or frequently. Especially when the western hostile forces are accelerating their strategies to westernize and target us, as well as the increasing clout of all sorts of bad social influences, it has become more important to vigorously strengthen army discipline and strictly penalize breaches."
The circular was issued after mass demonstrations held by veterans who protested with Beijing about their inadequate pensions. On 1 August, the 78th anniversary of the founding of the army, hundreds of army veterans were dragged away by police after protesting for hours in front of the offices of the political department of the People's Liberation Army. In April, 2,000 veterans stood in silence for 36 hours before the same office, in an appeal for better treatment from the State.