Protesting parents arrested

June 29 2010

By Li Shuang

Eight parents from five provinces whose children fell ill after receiving improperly stored vaccines were arrested Monday for protesting outside the gate of the Ministry of Health. They were warned by the police to stop protesting and released later in the day.

The parents met outside the gate of the Ministry of Health, located near Xizhimen subway station, at around 10 am Monday, where they stood until noon, demanding to meet Chen Zhu, the Minister of Health.

"Seeking justice for my child," read one of the cardboard signs held aloft by the parents.

"We demand those responsible be brought to justice by the ministry," said Yi Wenlong, who also came to protest on Friday (See Metro Beijing's June 28 report).

Each parent has a child who became ill after receiving a vaccination. Yi's 15-year-old daughter was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after receiving the A and C groups of the meningitis vaccine in December 2006. Another parent, Gao Erqing has a 2-year-old daughter who fell into a coma shortly after receiving a hepatitis B vaccine in May 2008. Later she was diagnosed with viral encephalitis.

At around noon, the parents were arrested and brought to the Zhanlanlu police station on 25 Baiwanzhuang Dajie. A police officer surnamed Li told the Global Times at the police station that the parents had been brought in for "disturbing the order of a workplace."

Around 5 pm, they were released with a written warning to the same effect that stated the parents had violated Article 23.1.1 of the Regulations of the PRC on Administrative Penalties for Public Security, "disturbing the order of a workplace."

Yi Wenlong told the Global Times that the eight of them were told by police officer Dai Chunshan that they should not go back to protest the next day, otherwise they would be detained.

"The police told us to go to the reception office for petitioners, but we have already tried that for months," said Yi. "We are going back to the ministry to protest again tomorrow."

The parents are Yi Wenlong, Liu Zhiyu and Gao Erqing from Shanxi, Sun Hongli and Wang Kuainian from Shandong, Yang Yukui from Heilongjiang, Liu Fengqin from Henan and Pan Changlong from Beijing's Changping district.