Supervision by deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) over the government and law enforcement departments has developed to a new level and become one of their top priorities of daily work.

"I had almost no sense of exercising the right of supervision 18 years ago when I first came to Beijing as an NPC deputy attending the annual session; instead I had only two things in mind: participating in meetings attentively and retelling what I have learned here about the central government's policies to people back home," said Zeng Xiaozhen, an NPC deputy and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial People's Congress. But nowadays, he says he handles many suggestions and advice for, and criticisms of, the government and law enforcement departments annually.

Farmer Chen Miaozhen is another example. Only in recent years has the female deputy of 18 years felt her authority. In 1998, she complained at the annual NPC session that some local government officials purposefully set obstacles for NPC deputies when the latter exercise functions as representatives of the people. As a result, officials concerned were punished. "Now, we have a stronger voice," Chen said.

Deputies to local people's congresses have also strengthened their supervisory role. Last year in Guangdong province, more than20 deputies to the provincial legislature twice made inquires into environmental protection work in the province and twice refused to pass replies submitted to the congress by the provincial environmental protection agency. Also last year, thanks to a complaint from deputies to the Hunan provincial people's congress, some officials of the provincial immigration bureau were prosecuted for embezzlement of public funds.

The NPC Standing Committee is working on some regulations to tighten supervision over judicial and procuratorial organs in an attempt to rectify possible law violations in the process of law enforcement, sources said.