China Chronicles December 25, 2012

• 355 nabbed in joint action against child-trafficking

  The Ministry of Public Security launched a crackdown on child-trafficking in nine provinces last week. By yesterday police had busted nine trafficking rings, nabbed 355 suspects and rescued 89 children, Xinhua reported.

  All the rescued children are being now taken care of by local civil affair departments and will be given a DNA test to find their parents.

  The crackdown was carried out in a joint manoeuver starting at 10pm, December 18, in nine provinces including Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Anhui and Guangdong.

  Chen Shiqu, a Ministry official in charge of the operation, said the traditional belief that "more sons, more blessings" is still widespread in many rural regions, thus making child-trafficking a lucrative business.

  Chen said that since China waged a war against child-trafficking in April 2009, police have destroyed about 11,000 criminal rings and saved more than 54,000 children.

  Wang Xizhang, deputy director of criminal investigation of Fujian Province Public Security Bureau, said child-trafficking rings normally operate across regions and have a clear division of labor. Some are responsible for buying or abducting kids, some look for buyers, and some are in charge of transportation.

  "A child bought at 30,000 yuan (US$4,809) in Yunnan can be sold at 70,000 to 90,000 yuan to the end-buyer. It's a very lucrative business," said Wang. "Many traffickers are middle-aged woman in rural areas who have poor education and little income."

• 355 nabbed in joint action against child-trafficking

  THE Ministry of Public Security launched a crackdown on child-trafficking in nine provinces last week. By yesterday police had busted nine trafficking rings, nabbed 355 suspects and rescued 89 children, Xinhua reported.

  All the rescued children are being now taken care of by local civil affair departments and will be given a DNA test to find their parents.

  The crackdown was carried out in a joint manoeuver starting at 10pm, December 18, in nine provinces including Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Anhui and Guangdong.

  Chen Shiqu, a Ministry official in charge of the operation, said the traditional belief that "more sons, more blessings" is still widespread in many rural regions, thus making child-trafficking a lucrative business.

  Chen said that since China waged a war against child-trafficking in April 2009, police have destroyed about 11,000 criminal rings and saved more than 54,000 children.

  Wang Xizhang, deputy director of criminal investigation of Fujian Province Public Security Bureau, said child-trafficking rings normally operate across regions and have a clear division of labor. Some are responsible for buying or abducting kids, some look for buyers, and some are in charge of transportation.

  "A child bought at 30,000 yuan (US$4,809) in Yunnan can be sold at 70,000 to 90,000 yuan to the end-buyer. It's a very lucrative business," said Wang. "Many traffickers are middle-aged woman in rural areas who have poor education and little income."

• Headmaster drives van into water, killing 11 kids

  It was the kindergarten principal who drove the minivan that fell into a roadside pond in rural Jiangxi Province in east China yesterday morning, killing 11 of the 15 children on board, China Central Television reported today.

  Zhou Chun'e has operated the Chunlei Kindergarten in Binjiang Town, Guixi City for six years without a license and got the driving license only a year ago, CCTV reported.

  Zhou was driving the minivan too fast and lost control when trying to avoid a parked vehicle on the road. The minivan overturned and rolled into a roadside pond around 9am yesterday, the report said.

  Three children died at the scene and eight died later in the hospital. Four children are out of danger.

  Zhou said the minivan was designed to carry seven people but actually picked up 15 children and one teacher because they were in a hurry to get to school, the report said.

  The teacher on the vehicle also survived. Zhou has been detained.

  Meanwhile, Binjiang Town government has signed agreements with bereft families, paying each family 480,000 yuan (US$76,900) in compensation, China News Service reported.

• Man hits students with car, 13 hospitalized

  A man allegedly disgruntled with society drove a car into a group of students during their lunch break in north China, leaving 13 hospitalized, local officials said today.

  The man ran down 23 students of Fengning No. 1 Middle School, located in the county seat of the Manchu Autonomous County of Fengning, Hebei Province, at noon yesterday, police said. His identity has not been made public.

  Of the 13 students in hospital, one has a skull fracture, the bones in another's feet are crushed and one is suffering from broken blood vessels in his eyeballs. The ten others incurred only minor injuries, Fengning officials said, citing sources with the hospital.

  An initial probe cleared the man of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

  However, the police probe found that the man had a gas tank and firecrackers stored in the car and he attempted to set off an explosion after hitting the students.

  According to police records, the man has a history of lodging complaints. Three years ago he encountered tragedy when his daughter was murdered.

  The motive behind the attack remains unclear, as the man has not yet opened up to investigators, police officials said.

• Chinese man hits students with car, 13 hospitalized

  A man allegedly disgruntled with society drove a car into a group of students during their lunch break in north China, leaving 13 hospitalized, local officials said today.

  The man ran down 23 students of Fengning No. 1 Middle School, located in the county seat of the Manchu Autonomous County of Fengning, Hebei Province, at noon yesterday, police said. His identity has not been made public.

  Of the 13 students in hospital, one has a skull fracture, the bones in another's feet are crushed and one is suffering from broken blood vessels in his eyeballs. The ten others incurred only minor injuries, Fengning officials said, citing sources with the hospital.

  An initial probe cleared the man of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

  However, the police probe found that the man had a gas tank and firecrackers stored in the car and he attempted to set off an explosion after hitting the students.

  According to police records, the man has a history of lodging complaints. Three years ago he encountered tragedy when his daughter was murdered.

  The motive behind the attack remains unclear, as the man has not yet opened up to investigators, police officials said.