Well, it’s time for me to put on my political commentator hat again. And, surprisingly, this post isn’t about Zimbabwe. (I figure there are enough people commenting on that as is. The issue doesn’t need me to muddy the waters.)
A few weeks ago, a 15 year old girl was found in a river near Wengxian, Gui Zhou. She had been raped several times, and then killed. The three thugs suspected of the crime were apprehended by police and then released the day of their arrest. The police department announced a conclusion of ‘probable suicide’ and closed her case.
Concerned and angered by the cavalier treatment by police, her uncle, a popular teacher, went to talk with the policemen in charge of the case. He was brutally beaten and has since disappeared.
Furious with this particular instance of criminal collusion and (I suspect) many other previous oppressions, the populace took to the streets and burned down the police department.
Now there’s armed police from the surrounding counties patrolling the streets. No one can get in, and no one can come out. I’m not sure what’s happening in there. The Chinese media have censored all mentions of the incident from being mentioned, and internet searches have been restricted.
Here’s where the facts end, and my commentary begins.
This is not, as I would like to believe, an isolated incident. The Chinese government, at the local level, has always reigned supreme, doing what it likes to the people. They are no better than thugs, and in many instances, are capable of much worse. I can write until my fingers fall off, about the mines in my home province that resorts to human slavery and kidnapping to harvest coal. I could talk until my throat gives in about the violence and brutality that plague the poor areas of rural China.
You think the Tibetans have it bad?
Welcome to China.
Despite the central government’s efforts to build a kinder, more efficient government, the nature of the infrastructure and sheer bureaucracy make it possible for the local/county level officials to do what they want, with nary a word from the central government (which is usually kept in the dark). It’s the perfect storm of circumstances that allow most officials to throw away human rights.
The girl I mentioned was a good student who consistently got good marks in school. Her classmate wanted to copy from her during an exam, but was rebuffed. The classmate is the niece of the county governor. She hired a few thugs to beat the girl up, rape her, and dump her corpse into a nearby river. Her uncle did nothing to condemn her, and instead instructed local police to shield her and her hirelings.
When this kind of thing happens, it is not because the man in question was evil. It is the sign of a decaying society. I argue with my incurably optimistic Chinese friends all the time about the path China is walking. It is capable of greatness, and that greatness is balanced by danger of equal magnitude. Let’s hope this incident shakes the central government into realizing that things cannot just go on as before.
Ultimately, I’m afraid that central no longer has control over the local government, and that is why things like this are occurring more frequently.
There’s a reason I hate politics, you know. Dig up, and you find some surprisingly nasty things.
Yours,
Sevenses
