Activist teacher snatched from home in Hubei

Global Times, February 16, 2011

Police said they plan to investigate why an activist teacher in Hubei Province was forcefully taken from his home by unidentified people Saturday, days before deputies to the local People's Congress are to be picked.

Yao Lifa, 53, a teacher in Qianjiang Experimental Primary School, became well-known in 1987 after he recommended himself for the deputy post in the local People's Congress. He succeeded in 1998 and during his term from 1998 to 2003, he turned in 187 proposals and exposed some wrongdoing among local officials, some of whom were sacked as a result.

At least seven men showed up at Yao's home and took him away, Feng Ling, Yao's wife, told the Global Times. She said it was not the first time they whisked her husband away.

Feng said Tuesday that the electricity in their home was cut off about 10 pm Saturday, and when he tried to go outside to check it, seven or eight people rushed into the house, dragged him into a car and drove him away.

Feng said it was Yao's colleagues at Qianjiang Experimental Primary School that kidnapped her husband. The leader was Wang Qian, vice headmaster of the school and others were physical education teachers including Tang Rongwei and Wu Daijun.

The teachers led by Wang had formed a "stability maintaining team," who had monitored Yao since 2008, she said.

Wu Daijun, identified by Feng as one of the men who took Yao away, denied Feng's allegations to the Global Times Tuesday. Phone calls to two other teachers identified by Feng went unanswered.

An official surnamed Tang from the press office at Qianjiang Public Security Bureau, told the Global Times Tuesday that the bureau would further investigate Yao's kidnapping but declined to answer further questions.