] China is equipping its courts with mobile execution vans
] as it shifts away from the communist system's traditional
] bullet in the head, towards a more "civilised" use of
] lethal injection.
]
] Intermediate Courts of the southern province of Yunnan
] were issued with 18 new execution vans on February 28 and
] a court official said some have already been used.
]
] "We cannot tell you how many executions so far, otherwise
] you could work out from the daily rate how many we carry
] out," the official said.
]
] Chinese authorities keep execution numbers a secret, but
] Western human rights monitors believe it is about 15,000
] a year, more than the rest of the world's judicial
] executions combined.
]
] The death penalty can apply for serious crimes against
] the person, armed robbery, drug trafficking, major cases
] of corruption and political violence.
]
] Many public executions have been held in football
] stadiums so traditional execution methods are no secret.
] The condemned criminal is taken by open truck to the
] execution ground and made to kneel with hands cuffed and
] head bowed, before being shot in the head. Families who
] want to reclaim the body are charged for the bullet.

Chinese try mobile death vans - theage.com.au