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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Chinese mob of thousands burns down hotel in Sichuan province |
| 2007-01-26 |
| High Chinese provincial officials are rumored to be involved, but blame has been cast on the bartender who found the body in the apparent murder rape that sparked the whole riot: Thousands of local residents have converged on an upscale hotel in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, setting fire to the building in protest at the death and alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl who worked there. Mobile phone footage taken outside the hotel in Dazhu township showed confused and raucous crowds in darkness in front of a burning building as crowds gathered outside. Witnesses said the crowd reached 20,000 at its peak late Wednesday. “There are still around a few thousand people on the scene and they protested outside the hotel this afternoon,” a shop owner near the Nest Business Hotel in Daizhu told RFA’s Cantonese service. Hotel worker Yang Daili, who some Internet accounts said was a karaoke hostess, was found dead in a hotel room on Dec. 30. Police enquiries initially yielded little evidence, and the hotel said she had died of an overdose. Friends protested But the girl’s friends and classmates pursued the matter and began a protest in the hotel, drawing public attention. The riot was triggered, residents said, after the hotel posted a notice denying any involvement in the girl’s death. Protesters stormed the hotel and vandalized it, then set fire to it. Police announced Thursday they had arrested two suspects in the case of the girl’s death. One was described in official media coverage as ’suspected rapist Liu Chikun.’ 'Witnesses' posted online The report, posted by Sichuan Online and rebroadcast by Phoenix TV(ZH), said local leaders had ordered an investigation into possible business links between local police and the hotel. An officer who answered the phone at the Dazhu police station declined to give further details. “I have just come on duty and we haven’t got any updated information yet. How can I tell you the current situation outside?” he said. Two Chinese-language forum posts translated into English by Hong Kong-based blogger Roland Soong said Yang was drugged and raped repeatedly by karaoke room clients until she died. China sees thousands of “mass incidents” across the country every year. While many are civil rights protests over land disputes, unpaid wages or environmental issues, spontaneous outbursts of anger and violence are occurring over numerous other issues, including changes in business licensing regulations, perceived miscarriages of justice, or fraudulent advertising claims. Roland Soong (very left-wing, pro-CCP Chinese-American) translates an account: I'm an employee at the hotel and I want to share with you what I saw. There is a bar in the hotel known as the Slow Rock Bar. I work in the bar. The deceased is 16-year-old Yang Li. She is a hostess at the Nest Business Hotel KTV. She is 1.7 meters tall and very pretty. On that evening, three big clients showed up. These were friends of the boss and senior officials in Sichuan province. They liked this girl and they asked her to keep them company. Then they wanted to take her out. So Yang Li asked our boss for time off, and he agreed. At around midnight, Yang Li returned. At around 2pm, we closed up the place but we discovered that she was motionless and unconscious. We took her to the hospital and she was already dead. This is what happened. The three men put drugs in Yang Li's drink. You know what kind of drug. But the dosage was too strong. They also f*cked her. They f*ck her to death because her vagina was bleeding. Later when someone took her to the Dazhu county People's Hospital, she was dead. During the negotiations between the hotel and the family of the deceased, a compensation of 800,000 RMB was offered. The family of the deceased rejected the offer, because they really wanted the murderers brought to justice. But since the murderers were three senior officials, that was out of the question. Actually, several people have died at the hotel already, but the hotel managed managed to keep the lid on. Previously, two girls and a security guard had died. The security guard witnessed their secret, so they had to eliminate him. As for the girls, they put some needle holes in their arms and said that the girls overdosed. This is a black hotel. They do everything, including selling drugs. Be careful. Don't talk. |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |
| #5 Actually, several people have died at the hotel already, but the hotel managed managed to keep the lid on AAA gives it three lumps of coal.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-01-26 21:22 |
| #4 EU6305: Sixteen year old girl working in a bar? The age of consent in China is 14. There, as in most of the West about a century ago, it used to be the age of puberty. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-01-26 18:28 |
| #3 Sixteen year old girl working in a bar? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-01-26 15:27 |
| #2 This is what happens when no one can trust the police and court systems. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2007-01-26 15:19 |
| #1 Sounds like it's a gone hotel now. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2007-01-26 07:09 |