Hebei couple file suit over missing child
Print Edition
A COUPLE in Hebei Province are dragging the local county government to court, 18 years after their third child — born in violation to the family planning policy — was forcibly taken away from them.
The baby was taken from them by two women on June 8, 1995, 11 days after she was born. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
Liu Laogen and his wife, Xia Gefeng, believe the two women acted at the behest of the local government after officials from the Quantou Town had tried to persuade them to give up the girl.
Over the past few years, local prosecutors have rejected their appeal due to lack of evidence. The only exception was on December 2012 when the Baoding City government ordered Anxin County, which administers Tuantou, to publicize the details within 15 days.
However, the county government passed the responsibility to the township government. The couple received a letter in January, only to be told to find the township officials themselves because authorities in Anxin did not have any relevant information.
On October 22, Liu’s lawyer Lin Feng submitted a written appeal to the Anxin People’s Court, Legal Evening News reported yesterday, demanding the county government publicize everything, including details of their daughter.
The case has been transferred to Gaobeidian People’s Court in Baoding, the report said.
“We don’t expect to get our child back. We just want to know whether she is still alive. It is fine if we can just look at her from afar, otherwise, we won’t die peacefully,” said Xia, with tears in her eyes.
Xia, a polio victim, delivered her third child at their home in Qiaonan Village on May 28, 1995. According to the family planning policy, rural couples can have a second children if the first child is a girl.
Liu was taken in for questioning by the local authorities on June 7, 1995, while a local villager same day tried to persuade Xia Gefeng to give up her child to a foster parent.
A day later, two women showed up at Liu’s house. They forcibly took away the girl, leaving behind 400 yuan (US$65.68). She hasn’t been seen since.
Yang Yungang, a procuratorate official, said they were unable to get much information as the village officials did not cooperate.
Liu said he tried to find his daughter in every surrounding village and even asked his son to go to Beijing after hearing that she may have been taken to the capital. But years of efforts turned out to be in vain.
Though Liu believed local government authorities were involved, officials from the village, town and county deny any knowledge of the two women.
Wan Guojian, an official in the Baoding government, said if the civil affairs department did not have any registration of the girl being sent to foster parents then local officials can be suspected of child trafficking. If enough evidence is found to confirm the girl had been given to others, the couple can file a lawsuit against local government.
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