WORLD

BEIJING--Five men convicted of robbery and other crimes were executed in Shanghai as part of a year-old anti-crime campaign, according to an official newspaper seen yesterday.

The five were executed Wednesday, the Shanghai newspaper Liberation Daily said. Executions in China are carried out with a bullet to the back of the head.

All five were identified as robbers, and two were said to be "hardened thieves." The newspaper reported Thursday that several had committed murder or impersonated police in the course of robberies. It did not give details.

The government announced a campaign in May 1990 to combat rising crime. Hundreds of thousands of arrests and nearly 1000 executions were reported by year's end.

Officials said early this year that the campaign was to continue. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have said the campaign encourages summary arrests and convictions.