The family members of a 9-year-old boy recently killed by
crocodiles at a wildlife park in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have been
petitioning government departments for nearly two months, but still
have no information about who is liable and responsible for
compensation. On Tuesday they demonstrated in the streets of
Nanning, capital of the region, attracting crowds of passersby,
Southland Morning Post reported yesterday.
The tragedy occurred at about 6 PM on April 20, when the boy
surnamed Liu and three other children from Xiantian Primary School
snuck into a temporarily closed crocodile pool in Yinhan District
of Beihai City, Xinhua News Agency reported. The boys teased the
animals until one of them attacked Liu and dragged him into water,
where he was killed by a congregation of crocodiles.
Witnesses to the demonstration saw the boy's parents,
accompanied by his grandmother, crying sadly in the streets of
Nanning. Liu Jianjun, the boy's father, showed pictures of his son
to bystanders and said that since the tragedy occurred, his family
has been in tears. He said for the past two months the family had
sought answers from different departments in Beihai but when this
yielded no result they traveled to the region's capital.
Liu said that one day after the accident happened, officials
from Yinhai District government sent a 600-yuan pension to his home
and said they would uphold justice for the family. But at the end
of May when Liu's family went to the district government, related
officials told them that the case was a civil dispute and should be
solved though legal action.
From the end of April to June 11, Liu with his family visited
the municipal government of Beihai, Yinhai District government, and
the Bureau for Handling Complaint Letters and Calls of Beihai City.
The only answer they received was: "You have to wait."
According to Liu, these government departments suggested he take
legal action. Liu said he considered suing the boss of the park,
but the boss ran away after the accident. He also considered suing
related government departments for neglecting to effectively manage
the park but gave up after considering the low chance of winning
such a case.
Citizens gathered in the streets showed great concern for the
family. A middle-aged man reminded them that they could seek
compensation from the insurance company as students always have
life insurance. Some others suggested departments they could go to
and showed them the way to find them.
After the accident, a heated public debate arose as to who
should be held responsible for the tragedy. Some people argued that
the parents are primarily liable for the accident as they didn't
well educate and supervise their child; some argue that the park
should take the responsibility; but, most people think that related
government departments should be held responsible because the
dangerous enclosure had illegally existed for a long time.
The local Party discipline inspection and supervision
departments sent a letter of inquiry in the beginning of May to the
Beihai forestry bureau, which is in charge of wildlife protection
and management, saying that the bureau didn't enforce orders. The
letter also said the city mayor had ordered the pool to be closed
after they found crocodiles escaped twice on April 26 and August
21, 2005, but the order was not enforced.
According to officials from the local Party discipline
inspection department, the investigation into the case will soon be
finished. They will announce the result and punish related
departments and individuals, but he refused to give more
information at this time about the investigation.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing, June 14, 2007)