Dog Bites Man ... I mean ... Police Beats Man

(Xici Hutong; Boxun)

At the time of the incident, several dozens of traffic police officers had gone to the office of Taizhou Evening News to complain about a story.  According to the traffic police, the report about fee collections appearing in page A3 on October 19 was inaccurate and they wanted the reporter to apologize and the newspaper to issue a correction plus apology.

Taizhou Evening News deputy editor-in-chief Wu Xianghu explained to the traffic police officers that the reporter had conducted the investigation in the company of members of the members of the Taizhou City Monitoring Complaint Center, the City Public Security Bureau Monitor's Office and the District Party Discplinary Committee.  Furthermore, the report was cleared beforehand with the Taizhou City Party Discplinary Comittee.  As such, there were no inaccuracies.

At that moment, the argument got heated.  According to a Taizhou Evening News reporter, one traffic police officer banged on the desk.  Then the traffic police captain Li Xiaoguo said, "I am not going to be a police officer today."  There was some body contact between the two.  According to Wu's account, Li picked up a briefcase and slammed it on his head, but Wu managed to slap Li in the fact during the tussle.  The Taizhou Evening News reporters all claimed to hear Li say, "I'm not going to be police officer today."  Li then called in more than a dozen traffic police to take Wu away and keep the other people away.  Wu said that in the elevator, someone pulled his hair while others kicked him with their boots, causing him to lose control and defecate.

The photographs taken by the Taizhou Evening reporters showed that he was grabbed by his arms and legs by many traffic police officers and pushed into a police vehicle.  Throughout the whole process, Wu was yelling, "Save me!"

About five minutes later, the Taizhou Daily news publisher and editor-in-chief rushed down and mediated.  The traffic police let Wu go.

According to the Taizhou City public security bureau chief, "No matter whether the Taizhou Evening News report was inaccurate or not, it was wrong for the traffic police to act this way."  Li Xiaoguo has been suspended from his duties.

A commentator noted that apart from the beating, the operating environment for the news reporter was noteworthy -- he had to work with government officials and he had to be cleared for publication.

Poscript: Li Xiaoguo was eventually expelled from the Communist Party and relieved of his duty.

Here is the translation of the original article in Taizhou Evening News (source Boxun)

"Electric bicycles license fees are 20 yuan, insurance 80 yuan, photographs 10 yuan ..."  Recently, Jiaojiang electric bicycles aid that there are unreasonable fees being charged during the licensing of electric bicycles.

Is what the citizens are saying true?  On the morning of the 18th, our reporter went with the City Department Effectiveness Monitoring Center workres for an undercover investigation at the Jiaojiang Non-Motorized Vehicle Administration in Jiaojiang's Construction Road.

At the Jiaojiang Non-Motorized Vehicle Administration, we saw that there were many citizens outside the gate pushing electric bicycles.  Inside, the courtyard, there were many electric bicycles parked too.  There were many people here getting processed.

The most frequently citizen comment was about the insurance fee.  When we got to the windo, we asked: "Is it possible to get a license without insurance?"  "You can delay it for now.  But if you are inspected in the street and you have no insurance, you will be fined.  You will have to get it sooner or later," said a female worker.

On the insurance policy statement of a Mr.  Yang, the reporter saw clearly that this Chinese People's Property Insurance Limited Company policy was for motorized third-person insurance to the amount of 50,000 yuan from an 80 yuan fee.

In the courtyard, a female in her 30's was taking photographs of the electric bicycles.  We asked, "Can we use our own photographs?"  "You must take it here.  Outside photographs are not in the rules.  You cannot use them for a driver's license.  The fee is 10 yuan."

We asked, "It costs only 8 yuan outside, so what is it 10 yuan here?"  The woman explained, "This has been approved by the pricing department."  We asked to see the approval letter from the pricing department, but the female could not produce it.  This female said that we could get an invoice at her shop if we have a sales pre-payment slip.

On the photograph pre-payment slip, we saw that it is taken by Jiaojiang's Jinlong Photography for two 3" photographs (not specified if it is black&white or color) and the pre-payment was 10 yuan.

On the license fee invoice, we sawa that this was the standard Zhejiang provinicial invoice, to the amount of 20 yuan.

Later on, the reporter found on the price list provided by the Traffic Police Brigade: license fee is 26 yuan, driver's license cost is 5 yuan, and the last column said "Fees according to (2002) Number 437."

Later, we went to the Jiaojiang Traffic Police Brigade.  The Brigade leader Li Xiaoguo said that electric cars go fast and are causing more and more traffic accidents.  In order to improve safety management and handling, the Jiaojiang Traffic Police Department is re-organizing the electric bicycle and requiring all vehicles be licensed.

As for the insurance for electric bicycles, Li Xiaoguo said that there is no corresponding law.  They contacted the insurance company and they adopted the corresponding insurance for light motorized vehicles.  They will emphasize to the people that this is voluntary.  Li Xiaoguo said that the Zhejiang Province Road Safety Law Implementation Regulations will take effect at the start of 2006 and under the regulations, the electric bicycles are forced to be insured.

As for the price of photographs being higher than the free market price, Li Xiaoguo immediately called the director of the Non-Motorized Vehicle Administration.  He told them that they must follow the market price, he ordered the photograph team removed and the two extra yuan be refunded to the users.  Users can get their own photographs, and any photograph meeting the requirements will be accepted regardless of who took it.

(AFP)  Chinese editor dies after severe police beating.  February 6, 2006.

A newspaper editor who was severely beaten by police about three months ago has died from multiple injuries, his wife and former colleagues said Monday.  "He died on February 2," said a former colleague of Wu Xianghu, who was deputy editor at the Taizhou Wanbao newspaper in east China's Zhejiang province.  "It must be related to the beating... our newspaper might take action," the journalist, who declined to give his name, said.  "We're all really angry about it."

Wu's wife, who did not want to give her first name but is also surnamed Wu, confirmed his death, although she declined to elaborate exactly what he had died of.  "I am not able to say," she said. "It is not convenient for me to say over the phone... in the end, it was due to his liver problems."