Beijing to take better care of its good Samaritans

Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau announced on Wednesday that the city government plans to implement better policies to compensate those who have come to harm in the course of helping others.

The beneficiaries of the new policies will include those who have been injured or lost their jobs while seeking to rescue someone or defend them from physical assault.

The government will base its new policies on an existing general guideline issued by the State Council on July 19, 2012.

Li Hongbing, spokesman with the bureau, said that the city's policies for implementing the State Council guideline are so far incomplete, a situation that it aims to correct.

The new policies will cover nine areas, including specifying procedures, standardizing rewards, increasing pensions and medical care standards for those who have suffered injury, as well as helping them with employment, education, housing, etc.

According to Li, since 2000, the city government has reserved a portion of its budget for compensating and rewarding good Samaritans, with many receiving payments on a case-by-case basis.

Payments made over the last 13 years amount to 11.09 million yuan ($1.8 million). Subsidies paid to the families of those killed in the course of defending others add up to 5.8 million yuan.

"Standing up against injustice is a value that society should learn from," Li said. "By implementing incentive policies, we hope people will demonstrate more care for others."