Beijing rolls out death on wheels

WND ^ | March 14, 2003

[Movemout]

CHINA WATCH
Beijing rolls out
death on wheels
Mobile execution vans that dispense lethal injection deemed 'more humane'

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Posted: March 14, 2003
12:00 p.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Hailed by Chinese media as a significant advancement in China's judicial system, Beijing recently rolled out 18 mobile execution vans.

The government took them for a test drive last Thursday, executing two farmers from Yunnan province who were convicted of heroin trafficking, according to Beijing Today.

The newspaper reported the men "benefited" from a "more humane method of dispatch" and that Liu Huafu, 21, and Zhou Chaojie, 25, died peacefully within one minute of receiving lethal injections in one of the new vans.

Earlier that day, Yunnan's legal authorities approved the use of 18 specially converted vans to be distributed among the province's 17 intermediate courts. In photographs, the vehicles look like ordinary police vans except they are marked with the word "court."

Yunnan Provincial High Court president was quoted as praising the death-on-wheels system.

"The use of lethal injection shows that China's death-penalty system is becoming more civilized and humane," Zhao Shijie said.

But efficiency and cost were foremost on the minds of Yunnan officials, according to the paper.

"With lethal injection, only four people are required to execute the death penalty: one executioner, one member of the court, one from the procuratorate and one forensic doctor. A dozen guards are also required to keep watch around the van," the paper said. "In contrast, many more guards are needed for firing squads, both around the site and along the route from the prison. If the case is well-known and complicated, security needs to be further enhanced and extra expenses are incurred."

Professor Wang Shizhou of Beijing University said it was a "very sad development.

"It will encourage more executions," he predicted.

In his annual report to the National People's Congress, the president of China's Supreme Court reported 819,000 Chinese have been either condemned to death or jailed for more than five years since 1998. This represents a 25 percent increase from the previous five years.

[Movemout]

This is taking the book-mobile strategy to the extreme.

[billorites]

The Good Humor man isn't gonna like this.

[alloysteel]

Not as much clean-up afterwards as a bullet to the head....

Guillotines were supposed to be a "more humane" method of execution when they were introduced, but you still had this nasty fly problem after a few days.

[Frobenius]

...with the right drug to ease passage of the miscreant, it also leaves those useful -- and valuable -- organs ready to harvest.

"Line up here -- Hey! No pushin' there... Getch ya kidneys, livers, spleens, whatever. You want it, we got it."

[Dacus943]

After Iraq... Lets wheel that sucker over to Paris!!!

[drjoe]

What about naming the vans. Like they name warships after famous individuals or battles. You could have the Pope John or the Pius XII or the George Bush. sort of like testimonials.

[NewRomeTacitus]

So China, you wish to plant your flag on the moon for the glory of Communism...
For me to poop on!
-Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

[DouglasKC]

They stole the techonology and idea from Dr. Jack Kevorikian. I bet he's pissed.

[nmh]

Maybe the U.S. ought to look into this. Imagine the money, time and aggravation saved if one of these vans could pull up to a prision and put death row inmates out of their misery.