China has launched a study to determine if human rights have been protected for people resettled to make way for the world's largest hydropower project under construction at the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River.

The research is a joint undertaking of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)and the Resettlement Affairs Bureau of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee under the State Council.

In charge of the research are Long Yongshu, former vice director of the CASS, Qi Lin, director of the Resettlement Affairs Bureau and Yu Quanyu, a renowned Chinese human rights expert.

Long said that the study, to be conducted by resettlement officials and scholars from CASS, People's University and China Agricultural University, is aimed to be an objective, comprehensive analysis and commentary on the human right status of Three Gorges resettlers.

The mammoth hydropower project will involve over one million resettlers upon completion in 2009. Their human rights condition has become an issue of international concern since the project started in 1993.

Researchers will begin field studies in January next year to collect information from 1,200 families, or about 4,000 resettlers, accounting for 3.3 percent of the total number of people resettled.

The research will be divided into nine categories including rights and obligations, the rights of employment, work, culture and education of Three Gorges resettlers.

The study is expected to be completed by the end of 2002, when a report with the findings will be issued.

(People's Daily 09/14/2001)