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The Kunming Public Security Bureau announced yesterday that an investigation team has been assembled to look into the wrongful arrests of two young girls for prostitution in March. The investigation was announced after increasing criticism of the police on the internet, much of it suggesting that the police fabricated the charges against the girls.

The two girls, Liu Fangfang, 15, and Liu Lili, 13, were arrested in front of their home in Kunming at 8:00 pm on March 16, along with their parents and two male friends. All were released the following afternoon after the Kunming Forensics Hospital examined the Liu sisters and determined that they were both virgins.

According to the Liu family's lawyer Xu Xinghua, shortly before the girls' arrest for prostitution, their parents had experienced a dispute with some local residents while working at the public toilet that they manage in the Wangjiaqiao area of the Wuhua District.

When police from the Wangjiaqiao police station were dispatched to the scene of the dispute, the Lius and the police reportedly experienced "friction", which the Lius believe offended the police station.

Afterward, police claim that a foot officer and two officers in training were propositioned by Liu Fangfang, who reportedly asked "Do you want to play?" ("要不要耍一下?"). While waiting for police from the Wangjiaqiao police station with the authority to arrest to arrive, the officer and cadets allegedly saw a man in his 30s enter an apartment with Liu.

Minutes later, police say the man left the apartment with Liu, when the foot officer identified himself and told the man to stay. According to police reports, another man emerged from the room and attacked the officer, starting a fracas in which several were injured and the Liu sisters were eventually arrested for prostitution in front of a large crowd.

Police told Kunming media that the violence against officers of the law was wrong, but also conceded that the girls were released the next day because of a lack of evidence that they were involved in illegal activities.

Liu Shihua, the girls' father, said "I suspect we're being persecuted by the police station."

Today, somewhat unexpectedly considering the date, the China Daily published an English-language commentary on the Liu sisters' "virgin prostitution", reprinting translated portions of a Chongqing Times article that takes a harsh line against the police. Here are some exerpts:


Liu sisters image: news.ifeng.com

Survey: Street shots of unwitting 'models' acceptable
A recent survey on the Kunming forum bbs.clzg.cn suggests that Kunming's netizens are generally fine with the idea of photos taken of them on the street being fodder for hormone-driven forum discussions. The outcome is not surprising, given that forum posts featuring street shots of unwitting female models are a staple of the site.

According to the survey, almost 47 percent of respondents said they were willing to be the subject of street shots in online forums. Just over 20 percent said they didn't care either way, with the same amount saying they were unwilling to be shot on the street without their knowledge. Six percent said they were just going out to buy soy sauce (打酱油).

Carrefour stabbing victim seeking compensation
One of the three stabbing victims in last December's hostage incident at the Longquan Lu Carrefour has taken the French-owned supermarket to court seeking 159,690 yuan (US$23,370) for "compensation for injury, further treatment and mental consolation".

A Carrefour spokesperson said it had paid out 200,000 yuan for medical treatment for Xie Peiling (谢佩伶) and the two other women who were stabbed during a rampage by Lu Zhiwen (陆志文) on November 29 of last year.

"We're not responsible for whatever remains," the spokesperson said.

After his stabbing spree, Lu took a nurse hostage. He was shot and killed in the fifth hour of the standoff while trying to pick up a bowl of rice noodles police had left for him outside a door.

Design for new Workers' Culture Center unveiled
The design for the new Workers' Culture Center (工人文化宫) has been decided by a public vote, according to a Dushi Shibao report. Construction on the new Culture Hall, whose design is being described as "succinct with a grand air" (简洁大气), will begin on Renmin Dong Lu on May 1. The design was selected from a final group of four designs.

The new 245 million yuan facility will replace the current dilapidated Workers' Culture Center, which is located behind Dongfeng Plaza. The 43,000 square meter facility will include a gym and sports facility, a five-star cinema, meeting facilities, job training for the undereducated, reading facilities, music and dance lessons and more.

Street shot image: bbs.clzg.cn

Workers' Culture Center image: news.kunming.cn

The official explanation for the death of a young man in Jinning County from brain injuries sustained while in police custody has been reversed by provincial authorities, who also demoted senior officers for their mishandling of what has come to be known in China as the 'hide-and-seek incident'.

In a Friday press conference, the Yunnan prosecutor's office said that Yuxi resident Li Qiaoming (李荞明), who had been arrested and held in a detention center in Jinning in late January, suffered fatal head trauma at the hands of his cellmates, who bullied and beat him.

The original explanation given by local police for Li's death was that he was careless while playing a blindfolded game of hide-and-seek with his cellmates, during which he allegedly hit his head into a wall, leading to his fatal brain injuries.

Chinese blogs, newspapers and bulletin board sites instantly jumped on the police explanation and questioned its veracity. The term 'duo maomao' (躲猫猫, or 'eluding the cat') – the Chinese name for hide-and-seek – became an instant internet catchphrase, as well as a source of embarrassment for the Yunnan government.

The provincial government's propaganda bureau responded to the internet-fuelled outcry by organizing a group of 'netizens', including high-profile local bloggers, to act as a special investigation committee. The committee was given access to police documents and viewed Li's cell, but was denied access to surveillance video and Li's cellmates. The committee quickly declared that it was unable to get to the bottom of the case due to this lack of access.

The committee's announcement brought about more questions and criticism from the Chinese blogosphere, and within a week, provincial authorities announced that Li's death was a result of being beaten by other detainees while in police custody.

Yunnan prosecutor's office spokesman Liu Xiaokai told reporters that three of Li's cellmates had frequently bullied Li, with the incident leading to his death taking place on the evening of February 8. Liu said that the three detainees had asked Li to join in a game of hide-and-seek, blindfolded him, and then beat him, during which time Li hit his head on a wall, which ultimately led to his death four days later.

According to Yunnan Public Security Bureau spokeswoman Yang Jianping, the vice-director of Jinning's Public Security Bureau and top two officials at the Jinning detention center were demoted, and the officer in charge of Li's cell block was fired.

Doubts have been voiced by some Chinese internet users regarding the new official explanation for Li's death, but it appears likely that – barring any further internet outrage – this is now a closed case. In the meantime, there is no word on how the new explanation for Li's death will affect his family's attempts to collect 250,000 yuan in compensation for his death.