Duty of officials to solve people's problems

Four migrant workers were detained for 10 to 15 days by the police in Pingdingshan, Cental China's Henan province, in May for "disturbing the public order". Their act of disturbance? They sent pennants on which they had written "Dereliction of Duty Award" to the police and labor department of the local government, after the authorities refused to help them get their unpaid wages from their employer. The migrant workers charged the police with abusing their power after they were released from custody recently. Comments:

It is the duty of civil servants to solve people's problems. It is wrong for the police and the labor department in Pingdingshan to turn deaf ears to the migrant workers' appeals. And the police are suspected of breaking the law when they detained the workers. There is still a long way to go for the grassroots authorities to match actions with their promises.

Yan Jiaqi, a columnist with nen.com.cn, June 15