Chinese police harass grieving parents

IHT ^ | June 3, 2008 | Edward Wong

[Zhang Fei]

Police officers surrounded more than 100 parents protesting Tuesday against shoddy school construction that they say resulted in the deaths of thousands of children during the recent earthquake here.

The police dragged away several crying mothers and harassed journalists trying to report on the event, according to witnesses and photos of the protest.

The standoff between the parents, many carrying framed photos of their children, and the officers, dressed in black uniforms, lasted for several hours and ended with the parents walking off feeling both intimidated and frustrated, said those involved in the protest.

"Because so many police surrounded us, we couldn't do anything, so we went home," said one woman, identified only as Li.

The confrontational stand of the police and local government here, the scene of several major school collapses when the earthquake struck May 12, is the strongest sign so far of a growing impatience among government officials toward any public airing of grievances over the school issue.

Across the hardest-hit areas of Sichuan Province in southwestern China, parents have been demanding investigations into why so many schools collapsed across the region even as, in many cases, surrounding buildings remained standing.

Several Chinese journalists have said in recent days that officials from the central government have told their news organizations not to continue reporting on the issue of schools.

The growing number of protests over school collapses has emerged as the greatest challenge to government officials in Sichuan, and the grieving parents have become a potent symbol to many Chinese of ordinary people victimized by corruption.

[Zhang Fei]

Looks like the Chinese government is reverting to type. Local government officials are playing bad cop, whereas central government officials are playing good cop. Even though it's a fact that local government officials are hand-picked by the central government, and basically enforce central government decisions (including moronic ones like banning motorcycles from cities).

[Puppage]

Does Chinese foot binding lower their carbon footprint?

[Zhang Fei]

I suspect you’d have to get a time travel machine to find out.

[RightWhale]

There was an earthquake in Russia while Gorbachev was Pres and he cut short a trip abroad to return home to assist in earthquake relief. The USSR collapsed anyway. The ultimate powerlessness of Gov’t sometimes is reason enough to change the system.

[Wavrnr10]

Always trying to keep the yellow man down!!!

[prairiebreeze]

It’s a travesty that the olympics and media are fostering a false image of decency to the Chicoms.

Frankly, as much as I’d hate it for the athletes, I’d support a boycott of these Chinese olympics, I’m that ticked about it.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Sounds like a violation of their rights according to the Chinese Constitution;

Article 35. Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.

[catbertz]

I think I saw that on a fortune cookie recently.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Hey! Fortune cookies are legal documents in China.

Are you making fun of the Chinese??

;)