Iron will, soft touch needed to curb violence

BEIJING - While cracking down hard on a spate of violent crimes, the government should do more to ensure a fair and harmonious social environment to safeguard public safety.

Several violent crimes across China in July not only caused the deaths of innocent people but also aroused panic among the public.

On July 20, a wheelchair-bound man set off a homemade explosive device in the Beijing Capital International Airport after his alleged complaints about unfair treatment were reported to have been ignored for years. He was the only person injured.

On July 25, a villager in central China's Henan province fatally stabbed three members of a neighbor's family after a reported dispute between the two families. While he was on the run, he killed another two people.

In the early hours of July 26, a 46-year-old man started a fire in a nursing home in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, killing 11 people, including himself. Authorities believe he started the fire out of anger after quarreling with a friend in the nursing home over 200 yuan ($32) that went missing.

Suspects in the cases committed their alleged crimes in anger, which was aroused after disputes with others or after they felt their complaints were not being heard.

To ensure public safety, forceful measures should be taken to curb such violent crimes and there should be no leniency in punishing those whose activities disrupt social stability.

There is no reason that people's complaints should lead to violence.

Using violence to express demands or vent anger does not resolve problems, it exacerbates them. And those responsible for acts of violence are legally liable for their actions.