Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2008
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2008 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Richard Spencer

'CHINESE TORTURING FOREIGN TEENS IN DRUGS BUST'

Parents of foreign teenagers living in Beijing are  accusing police of
putting their heads in plastic bags  and roughing them up if they
complained during a drugs  raid on a bar district.

Police swept two bars in Sanlitun, the most  well-established bar and
restaurant area for younger  foreign and Chinese residents of the
capital on Friday  night.

They led out scores of revellers, including pupils from  several of
the city's numerous and expensive  international private schools, as
well as Chinese.

They were then escorted, heads covered in bags, to  local police
stations for urine tests.

"They had their heads covered in plastic bags and had  to keep their
heads bent low throughout their detention  otherwise they were
beaten," said one parent. Another  said a teenager thought he had a
gun pointed at his  head, though he could not see it through the bag.

Some of those detained were forced to undress so their  clothes could
be searched.

The raid was confirmed by police, who said that  ecstasy, marijuana
and other drugs were seized, and  that more than 20 people had been
detained, including  eight foreigners.

One of the bars is popular with young French people,  who were among
those detained, and the French embassy  issued a statement saying it
would make "appropriate  representations" if it turned out any
nationals had  been assaulted.

The discovery of drugs would make the police action  more successful
than a controversial raid last  September, also in Sanlitun, when
police swept the bars  and rounded up any customers who were black.

They were then made to lie or kneel in the street while  they were
searched, while bystanders who took  photographs of some being beaten
had their cameras  removed.

The event turned into an embarrassment for the city  after no drugs
were found. The Grenadian ambassador  issued an angry complaint
alleging his son had been  beaten and had ended up in hospital
suffering  concussion.

One source said that on Friday, black people were  separated from
other races.

The raid is part of a general law and order crackdown  in the city in
advance of the Olympics, which has also  involved unannounced visits
by police to homes of both  locals and foreigners to check residence
papers.

Beggars and "petitioners" - people who come to Beijing  to lodge
complaints against local authorities - are  also being rounded up and
sent back to their home  provinces.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Derek