China to improve assistance for unidentified vagrants, beggars

BEIJING - Chinese authorities issued a document calling for better care of vagrants and beggars on Monday.

The document, issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, proposes local authorities should arrange for further care for vagabonds and beggars who stay in rescue stations for more than 10 days.

Rescue stations should report those who can not be identified for more than 3 months to the local government for settlement, the document suggested.

It stressed that under-age vagrants and beggars should not be sent to senior citizen's homes for care, which has been done in the past. Instead, they should receive care that caters to their physical and mental conditions at rescue stations or welfare centers for children.

The document suggests local authorities should work hard to identify the vagrants and beggars and help them contact their relatives through channels such as websites or newspapers.

Local authorities should also provide convenience for those coming to the rescue stations with the aim of finding their missing relatives, the document said.