Judicial authorities should not be absent in disputes between citizens and local governments, said an article in Beijing Times (excerpts below).

Linwu county government, in Hunan province, paid out 897,000 yuan ($142,000) in compensation to the family of a dead watermelon seller.

Before any payment was made, a full judicial investigation should have been carried out.

According to the county, two heads of the urban administration bureau were sacked and six officers of the bureau were detained. This means that the judicial authorities had started to probe the incident but have been silent.

There should be a clear boundary between the administration authority and the judicial authority.

Any lingering doubts or uncertainties must be clarified through judicial investigation to ensure procedural justice.

The government is by no means a referee in such cases. And taxpayers money should not be used to pay out until all the facts are known.