Security in the spotlight after latest school knife attack
By Zhao Wen |
December 17, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE stabbing of 22 children last Friday has led to questions over security after it was revealed it was the third incident involving knife attacks at schools in a central China county since last year.
Last month, an 18-year-old high school student was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker at the gates of a school and a 17-year-old student was killed by a classmate on his school's playground in October last year.
All three schools are in Guangshan County, Henan Province, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.
Parents told reporters anyone could enter Chenpeng Village Primary School, where the latest stabbings happened, and there were no guards at the gates.
However, a school official surnamed Cao said the gates were closed 24 hours. But he refused to show reporters the surveillance video, saying the headmaster who could permit this was not at the school. "The man rushed into the building and ran upstairs, but our security guard took him out," Cao told reporters. "He didn't enter the classroom and no student was injured there."
However, some students said they got hurt in their classroom and teachers arrived too late to stop the attack. "The man broke the door, smashed the windows and rushed into our classroom," one boy said.
Where were they injured?
Cao said the students had been injured in the schoolyard. "Maybe students got injured and returned to their classrooms," Cao said.
Initial reports had said some were attacked as they arrived for class.
A suspect, Min Yingjun, 36, is in police custody. Fellow villagers told reporters they thought he was mentally ill. He had a short temper and a tendency to be violent.
A report in the Southwest Metropolitan Daily said he had been diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 16. Min's father said his son's condition had deteriorated this year. He said his son often ran off leaving the family unable to find him.
The lack of official information about the stabbing incident and the refusal by local officials to talk to reporters has led to accusations of indifference toward the victims.
A Xinhua reporter said some officials were not in their office while others were seen playing games on mobile devices. A press conference scheduled for the day after the attacks was also cancelled.
The officials' actions have been contrasted with what was happening in the United States where 27 children and adults died in a shooting rampage at a school in Connecticut. "There are so many details about the US incident on the Internet while our officials are trying every means to block the information and refuse interviews," the report said.
Seven of the Chenpeng students have been transferred to larger hospitals due to their injuries.
Last month, an 18-year-old high school student was stabbed to death by an unknown attacker at the gates of a school and a 17-year-old student was killed by a classmate on his school's playground in October last year.
All three schools are in Guangshan County, Henan Province, Xinhua news agency said yesterday.
Parents told reporters anyone could enter Chenpeng Village Primary School, where the latest stabbings happened, and there were no guards at the gates.
However, a school official surnamed Cao said the gates were closed 24 hours. But he refused to show reporters the surveillance video, saying the headmaster who could permit this was not at the school. "The man rushed into the building and ran upstairs, but our security guard took him out," Cao told reporters. "He didn't enter the classroom and no student was injured there."
However, some students said they got hurt in their classroom and teachers arrived too late to stop the attack. "The man broke the door, smashed the windows and rushed into our classroom," one boy said.
Where were they injured?
Cao said the students had been injured in the schoolyard. "Maybe students got injured and returned to their classrooms," Cao said.
Initial reports had said some were attacked as they arrived for class.
A suspect, Min Yingjun, 36, is in police custody. Fellow villagers told reporters they thought he was mentally ill. He had a short temper and a tendency to be violent.
A report in the Southwest Metropolitan Daily said he had been diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 16. Min's father said his son's condition had deteriorated this year. He said his son often ran off leaving the family unable to find him.
The lack of official information about the stabbing incident and the refusal by local officials to talk to reporters has led to accusations of indifference toward the victims.
A Xinhua reporter said some officials were not in their office while others were seen playing games on mobile devices. A press conference scheduled for the day after the attacks was also cancelled.
The officials' actions have been contrasted with what was happening in the United States where 27 children and adults died in a shooting rampage at a school in Connecticut. "There are so many details about the US incident on the Internet while our officials are trying every means to block the information and refuse interviews," the report said.
Seven of the Chenpeng students have been transferred to larger hospitals due to their injuries.
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