Today I wrote a comment (don’t expect to see it there anyway!) on China Daily’s website, regarding all the hoopla around AIDS Day. Yeah, yeah, this country is still ruled in many places by corrupt local officials (and police too), thugs, criminals and the like. It is a major threat to the social stability of this country, plus a damage to its international image. Those people just don’t give a damn about their own (central) government nor their country. They just care about making money at any cost. Despicable. On the other hand, staff from UNICEF, and other UN agencies are happy with some local cooperation.
“Journalist Tom Van de Weghe, officially accredited as correspondent for the VRT (Flemish Public Broadcaster), together with his cameraman and his assistant, has been attacked, beaten and robbed by the local officials in the Chinese province of Henan.
The crew was on its way to the district of Shangqiu for a report on AIDS, in connection with World Aids Day on 1 December. Some one million patients in the region contracted HIV infection by selling their own blood.
So, what is all this talk about being open for AIDS, China opening up for foreign journalists? Local thugs and criminals remain unpunished. Shame on the Henan authorities!”
The full sad story of Tom is on Facebook.
Overall, something is moving in China. See here recent article from China Daily:
“27 November 2008 – Ferret out the wirepuller (China Daily)
It’s urgent to find out who really received the 20 million yuan in bribes given by Chen Xuming to help him obtain the leading post in the police station, says an article on the website www.china.com.cn. The following is an excerpt:
Chen, a local police officer, was exposed during investigations into a fatal fire that broke out in September and claimed 44 innocent lives.
The State Council’s investigation team into the calamitous fire in Shenzhen’s Dance King Club recently found more than 10 million yuan in cash and some 200 million yuan worth of stocks and real estate properties at the home of Chen Xuming, the deputy head of a local police station. He was the protective umbrella of the club and received huge amounts of bribes from the club owners.
More shockingly, Chen also confessed that it cost him 20 million yuan to buy his leading post in the police station.
The investigators should follow the clues in Chen’s confession to find out who received the 20 million yuan in bribery. Only by doing this can we punish the backstage manipulators and uphold justice for those victims of the calamity.
It makes us deeply worried that a leading post in the police station can be so easily obtained through bribes.
Chen’s case shows how public power is used by individuals for personal interests and the selection procedures of officials have been rendered meaningless.”