5 detained over quake rumors
Source: Xinhua |
February 26, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AUTHORITIES in Shanxi Province confirmed yesterday that five people have been detained for spreading earthquake rumors.
The suspects confessed to having spread quake rumors via the Internet and mobile phone text messages. Their posts and messages said an earthquake was going to hit the coal-rich province.
Fu Wenhui, a 20-year-old college student from Shanxi, is suspected of spreading earthquake rumors at a Baidu.com chatroom on February 20.
In his posting entitled "Have a look at this, if you still want to live," Fu said he had received "inside information from a friend at the national earthquake administration that there was a 90 percent chance a quake will hit."
Fu was detained for five days by police in Shouyang County.
Li Jinrong, a 35-year-old migrant worker from Jinzhong City, admitted he sent text messages to his friends on February 20 saying a magnitude-6.0 earthquake was going to hit Shanxi Province the next day. Police detained Li for seven days in Jinzhong City. Li said his text message was based on hearsay.
Han Yueyue, 20, a native of Anhui Province who was working in Shanxi's capital Taiyuan, was detained for 10 days for sending text messages in the name of the local earthquake administration and mobile communications service operator.
In his message sent on February 22, Han said an earthquake was going to hit Taiyuan that night and warned everyone to "be on guard in order to minimize casualties."
Zhang Xin, 20, a man from Shanxi Province who worked in Beijing as a migrant worker, was ordered to be detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan (US$73.5) for posting quake rumors and fake casualty reports on Baidu.com, police said.
Zhang published the same message several times on February 21. The message said 36 people had died in quakes and forecast at least 30 aftershocks in the coming three days.
The fake death toll was exaggerated to 1 million in Internet posts by Zhu Hongguo, a 24-year-old worker in Shanxi's Pingding County.
Zhu was detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan.
The rumors scared tens of thousands of people. Some panic-stricken residents spent the night outdoors on February 20 and 21 in at least five cities across the province.
The suspects confessed to having spread quake rumors via the Internet and mobile phone text messages. Their posts and messages said an earthquake was going to hit the coal-rich province.
Fu Wenhui, a 20-year-old college student from Shanxi, is suspected of spreading earthquake rumors at a Baidu.com chatroom on February 20.
In his posting entitled "Have a look at this, if you still want to live," Fu said he had received "inside information from a friend at the national earthquake administration that there was a 90 percent chance a quake will hit."
Fu was detained for five days by police in Shouyang County.
Li Jinrong, a 35-year-old migrant worker from Jinzhong City, admitted he sent text messages to his friends on February 20 saying a magnitude-6.0 earthquake was going to hit Shanxi Province the next day. Police detained Li for seven days in Jinzhong City. Li said his text message was based on hearsay.
Han Yueyue, 20, a native of Anhui Province who was working in Shanxi's capital Taiyuan, was detained for 10 days for sending text messages in the name of the local earthquake administration and mobile communications service operator.
In his message sent on February 22, Han said an earthquake was going to hit Taiyuan that night and warned everyone to "be on guard in order to minimize casualties."
Zhang Xin, 20, a man from Shanxi Province who worked in Beijing as a migrant worker, was ordered to be detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan (US$73.5) for posting quake rumors and fake casualty reports on Baidu.com, police said.
Zhang published the same message several times on February 21. The message said 36 people had died in quakes and forecast at least 30 aftershocks in the coming three days.
The fake death toll was exaggerated to 1 million in Internet posts by Zhu Hongguo, a 24-year-old worker in Shanxi's Pingding County.
Zhu was detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan.
The rumors scared tens of thousands of people. Some panic-stricken residents spent the night outdoors on February 20 and 21 in at least five cities across the province.
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