"Imprisoning people for months and even years without trial clearly goes against the grain of the rule of law that the mainland is striving to attain. When the detention is in the name of "re-education", the practice is as much damaging as wrong. Reform of the network of labour camps known as laojiao is being undertaken cautiously, with pilot schemes in four cities searching for a way forward. But experimenting with a mind to revamping is not the right approach. If a legal system based on due process of law is to be built, re-education through labour has to be abolished........"