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Police apologize for discriminatory banners
By Chen Hong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-10 05:30
SHENZHEN: China's first regional discrimination case came to a peaceful end
when the Shenzhen police apologized for offending natives of Henan Province.
The case, triggered by two banners that called on the public to smash Henan
racketeering gangs, has garnered attention from the whole country, but
particularly among Henan natives.
A man goes past a banner that reads:
"Resolutely strike at Henan racketeering gangs." in Shenzhen.
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After a local court mediation in Zhengzhou, capital city of Central China's
Henan Province, Ren Chengyu and Li Dongzhao, two legal professionals in
Zhengzhou, decided to drop further charges against the Longgang District
Sub-station of Shenzhen, a booming city in South China's Guangdong Province.
The court settled the case on January 21, eight months since the hearings
began. However, the ruling was not announced until the Xinhua News Service
reported it on Wednesday.
Wu Zhouwei, a publicity officer of the Longgang District Sub-station,
confirmed the news and reiterated that the station has spoken to its staff to
prevent similar cases in the future.
Large banners were put up under the Longgang District Police Sub-station
outside a produce market in early March, 2005. They read: "Resolutely strike at
Henan racketeering gangs," and "Anyone with information on Henan gangs which
leads to solving of the case will get a 500-yuan (US$61.7) reward."
After a media outcry, a spokesman for the police sub-station explained the
banners were put up by a patrol officer without the approval of his supervisor.
The officer claimed that in the first three months of 2005 the community police
station had caught 17 suspects involved in five racketeering gangs all from
Henan Province.
The police quickly removed the offending banners and have since apologized
door to door to all the Henan natives in their district. However, Ren and Li
insisted on a formal expression of contrition in a national media outlet, saying
that a vocal apology "is far from enough to make up for the nationwide negative
impact brought about by the banners."
Liu Kuanzhi, director of Longgang Police Sub-station said at a conference
held last May in Shenzhen: "The banner targeting Henan-native gangs has hurt
people from Henan Province and we sincerely apologize to them."
A suit was filed on April 15 in a local court in Zhengzhou, claiming the
banners had infringed on the rights of the Henan people, damaged their
reputation and caused mental trauma.
"It's a battle for reputation. The significance of the lawsuit is to correct
the discrimination against Henan people. We should receive the same respect from
the community like people from any other province," said Li Ming, a Henan native
working in Shanghai.
(China Daily 02/10/2006 page2)
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