SOS from Chinese Internet addiction center inmates

Upon recent investigation by reporters, the camps are still recruiting despite word from Chinese govt. that they are to be shut down. Kids were signaling 'SOS' pleading for help from windows. Details below.


http://www.danwei.org/front_page_of_the_day/the_camp_which_beat_kids_to_de.php

Deng Senshan, a 16-year-old sent by his parents to an Internet addiction treatment camp in Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region, died suddenly on August 2, allegedly after being beaten.

Police closed down the camp and detained a number of employees.

Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily conducted its own investigation into a related training camp in Guangzhou. It printed its findings in today's issue:

Following the attention sparked by the incident involving a 16-year-old Guangxi student being beaten to death by instructors at the Nanning Qihang Salvation Training Camp, our reporter discovered that Lizhi-Qihang is also operating in Guangzhou. After the death was exposed, education authorities in Nansha District stated that the program at Haojin Vocational School, which was partnered with Lizhi-Qihang, had been halted.

However, when this reporter visited the school, the Qihang Training Camp was still in operation and the Lizhi Training Camp was still recruiting students. Yesterday afternoon at 3:44, a student in a third-floor dormitory room pleaded to the reporter for help by holding up a bamboo mat with the letters "SOS" written on the back. When instructors rushed upstairs to stop him, the children gestured for the reporter to go to the back side of the school to take pictures.

When the reporter arrived outside the rear wall of the school, children on the third and fourth floors started to stick notes into aluminum cans, drink bottles, and slippers, and others folded notes into paper planes. They tried to throw them over the wall, but owing to the distance, none of them succeeded.

Some children had papers bearing the messages "SOS" and "beating" which they waved out the windows. Some wrote calls for help on their clothing, which they displayed to the reporter. Some even yelled for help. They were all stopped by the instructors.



http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/08/content_11845538.htm

13 detained over teenager's death in S China

NANNING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen people in Nanning, capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, had been detained after the death of a teenage Internet addict, local authorities said Friday.

The suspects were with the Nanning-based Qihang Salvation Training Camp and were under police investigation for inflicting intentional injuries and illegal operation, said Zhang Shuhui, vice head of the Jiangnan district of Nanning.

The unlicensed camp was closed Friday afternoon, Zhang said, adding that 122 trainees inside had been brought home by their parents.

Deng Senshan, a 15-year-old native of Ziyuan in Guilin of Guangxi, was found dead at about 3 a.m. Sunday. He was sent to the camp at about 1 p.m. last Saturday to get rid of Internet addiction.

His father Deng Long was informed of his son's death at 7 a.m. Sunday.

The camp, located inside the Guangxi Electronic Polytechnical School, was targeted at teenagers under 18.

The case is being investigated by police and further details are not available.