Word is that among those in the running for the next Nobel peace prize, which will be announced in Oslo Friday, are two Chinese dissidents.

So the question is: Will this help the cause of human rights or hurt the cause?

According to this Bloomberg story, Oslo’s International Peace Research Institute says the top candidates for the 2008 Peace Prize include dissidents Hu Jia, 35, and Gao Zhisheng, a 44-year-old lawyer. Both are in detention.

Hu is perhaps better known. His causes over the years have ranged from AIDS activism to environmentalism. Most recently, he came to Gao’s defense once Gao was put under detention.

The story suggests that the Norwegian Nobel Committee may have not wanted to antagonize China in recent years by awarding the Prize to a dissident. But since the Summer Olympics didn’t bring an across-the-board improvement, then some on the committee feel the time is ripe.

The story quotes one Norwegian, Njaal Hoestmaelingen, of Norwegian Center for Human Rights, wondering if selection of a Chinese dissident might be counterproductive.

``The Chinese reaction may be to make such work far more difficult, and make it more difficult for Norway and other Western countries to collaborate with China on promoting human rights there,'' Hoestmaelingen said.

It’s an interesting debate that has many permutations.  In some cases, publicizing the case of a dissident can ensure that his or her life is protected. Beijing pays attention to international pressure. On the other hand, Chinese officials can see it as a stick in the eye. They can shut off access, take out reprisals on unrelated parties, etc.

On a separate topic, who can come up with the best caption for this photo below of a health inspector in Chengdu last week checking on milk quality at a collection center?