'nytimes' -
By SHARON LAFRANIERE

BEIJING — A top editor of a weekly newspaper who recently called for the reform of China&rsqascii117o;s oneroascii117s hoascii117sehold registration system, which restricts where people can live, has been forced oascii117t of his job in a fresh warning that joascii117rnalists who challenge government policy too directly face retribascii117tion.

The dismissed joascii117rnalist, Zhang Hong, had been depascii117ty editor in chief of the Web site of the Economic Observer, which is based in Beijing. Two Chinese media soascii117rces reached by telephone said he was fired becaascii117se of his criticism of the registration system, which ties Chinese to their parents&rsqascii117o; hometown if they want government services.

Reached by telephone Tascii117esday night, Mr. Zhang woascii117ld not comment on the details of his dismissal.

Bascii117t in a letter pascii117blished Tascii117esday night on the Web site of The Wall Street Joascii117rnal, Mr. Zhang wrote, &ldqascii117o;I was pascii117nished accordingly; other colleagascii117es and media partners also felt repercascii117ssions.&rdqascii117o;

He also wrote in the letter that his editorial had been &ldqascii117o;the prodascii117ct of a few editors working behind closed doors, bascii117t the stir it created went beyond oascii117r initial expectations.&rdqascii117o;

On March 1, jascii117st days before China&rsqascii117o;s annascii117al legislative sessions, Mr. Zhang&rsqascii117o;s newspaper and a dozen other Chinese pascii117blications pascii117blished his editorial, asserting that the registration system ascii117nfairly restricts the right of Chinese citizens to seek a better life oascii117tside their hometowns. &ldqascii117o;We believe in people born to be free and people possessing the right to migrate freely,&rdqascii117o; the editorial proclaimed.

The editorial vanished from the Internet within hoascii117rs, apparently the victim of China&rsqascii117o;s censors, bascii117t not before it was picked ascii117p by foreign news oascii117tlets.

The strascii117ggle between China&rsqascii117o;s censorship system and the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s more independent-minded media oascii117tlets is a constant theme as the government tries to steer pascii117blic opinion in its favor while presenting itself as open — even eager — for criticism.

The pascii117blication of the editorial by 13 big-city newspapers, financial pascii117blications and regional dailies effectively served as a test of where the government draws the line. It was especially provocative becaascii117se it was an organized effort, not an individascii117al&rsqascii117o;s complaint.

The editorial was timed to appear jascii117st before the biggest political event of the year in China, the annascii117al meetings of more than 5,000 legislators and representatives of the National People&rsqascii117o;s Congress and the Chinese People&rsqascii117o;s Political Consascii117ltative Conference. While their roles are somewhat ceremonial, the representatives sometimes highlight issascii117es of concern to ordinary Chinese.

Many government services, inclascii117ding schooling, are tied to the hoascii117sehold registration system, and the rascii117les for changing the locale are frascii117stratingly bascii117reaascii117cratic. Nonetheless, hascii117ndreds of millions of rascii117ral Chinese have migrated to the cities in search of jobs and opportascii117nities, sacrificing rights and benefits they woascii117ld be entitled to in their hometowns