Thursday, February 23, 2006

Beijing becoming like Singapore

Well, in some respects, that is. In the AFP story below, there will be "civilization supervisors" giving out ¥50 fines "on the spot" for spitting on the street or sidewalks. I say, "it's about time!"

Beijing Tries to ‘Civilize’ Residents Ahead of Olympics (February 20, 2006, AFP)
Beijing will launch a major "civilization" campaign to target spitting, littering and etiquette in an effort to clean up the city's image ahead of the 2008 Olympics. Beijing would set up trash boxes and provide sanitary bags for people to spit into on major streets and step up the enforcement of on-the-spot fines of up to 50 Yuan (six dollars) for spitting elsewhere, the Beijing News said. As part of the campaign, which kicks off next month, more than 4.3 million Beijing families would receive a guide on civilization and etiquette, it said. More "civilization supervisors" would be deployed on public transport as pushing and shoving to get on and off, common in Beijing and other cities, came under scrutiny. Other rude behavior targeted by the campaign included littering and pets fouling the streets, the report said, without giving details of fines or other punishments.

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