Help helpers to help more people

If you are a resident of Southwest China's Sichuan province and have the tendency to come to people's rescue, you'd better be careful the next time you risk your life to save others. To put it more correctly, the local authorities in Sichuan will recognize you as a good Samaritan for your selfless act of courage only if you help a stranger within the province. For people who cannot help coming to the rescue of others, this could be a moral punishment.

Sun Chuan, 51, died while trying to save an acquaintance from drowning in the sea off Sri Lanka's coast in late July. Anyone would laud Sun for his supreme sacrifice, but not Sichuan local officials. When Sun's family members approached the officials in Chengdu of Sichuan to seek a posthumous "good Samaritan's title" for him, they were told that it could not be given for two reasons: the incident didn't take place in Sichuan and Sun didn't save a stranger, but an acquaintance.

A Sichuan provincial regulation says a "good Samaritan's title" can be awarded only to people who ignore their own safety to protect State or collective interests or other people's life or property, or those who courageously fight various kinds of crimes or work for disaster relief. But local officials told Sun's family members that the regulation only applied to incidents that take place within the province and for acts to help strangers, not acquaintances.