China adds death penalty for power facility offences

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) People who damage China's power facilities could face penalties ranging from 10 years in jail to the death penalty, the country's Supreme Court said today, as Beijing aims to protect its key energy sector from sabotage.

The court issued its interpretation of the law, under which China will impose severe punishments for offences involving power facilities that cause more than one death, serious injury of three persons or more, and slight injury to 10 people or more.

Also targetted are crimes resulting in power outages for longer than six hours and economic loss of more than (132,000 dollar), the Supreme Court said on its Web site (www.court.gov.cn).

In 2006, more than 4,500 people were arrested for stealing oil, illegally drilling for oil and gas or damaging pipelines, Xinhua has said.

Last month, the official Xinhua news agency reported that China had sentenced to death two leaders of a gang that stole crude oil by drilling into pipelines, causing million in damage.

REUTERS SV PM1330