Police: teenage Net addict beaten to death

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-08-19 11:28

Autopsy results confirmed that a teenage Internet addict who died in a camp designed to help him overcome his addiction was in fact beaten to death, public security authorities in Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said Tuesday, according to Xinhua.

The results show that Deng Senshan, the 15-year-old victim, suffered soft tissue injuries that led to the failure of his respiratory and circulation system.

Deng was sent to the Guangzhou Lizhi Training Camp for Youth Growth in Nanning on August 1 afternoon by his parents to help treat their son’s internet addiction. He was to stay from August 1 to September 1, in order to “get away from bad behaviors, regain confidence and establish positive life attitudes,” according to an agreement Deng’s parents signed with the center. The camp charged 7,000 yuan (US$1,024) and promised to “take care of Deng, and supervise the teenager 24 hours a day in the first few days of the training.”

The agreement also stated that “the camp can take necessary means like punishments to educate the teenager, as long as the means are not abusive.” But Deng was allegedly locked in a room by the camp’s teachers the night he arrived, and apparently was beaten to death around 3:00am on August 2.

The unlicensed camp was closed on August 7. A total of 122 trainees inside, all under 18, have now been taken home by their parents, according to Xinhua.