Chinese group halts homegrown `peace prize`

A Chinese group established an alternative peace prize after a jailed Chinese dissident was honoured with Nobel last year.

Beijing: A Chinese group that established an alternative "peace prize" after a jailed Chinese dissident was honoured with the well-known Nobel Peace Prize last year has abruptly called an end to the fledgling tradition.

An announcement by the Beijing-based Association of Chinese Local Art said the association`s cultural protection department that set up the Confucius Peace Prize last year had been disbanded and the prize cancelled.

The statement was posted on the website of the Ministry of Culture, which oversees the association but is not directly involved with its activities.
An official with the Ministry of Culture`s press office, who would give only his surname, Zhou, confirmed on Thursday that the prize had been cancelled.

Bureau Report