China Scene: South

Old man's long march moves convict son to tears

Xie Fei, an inmate at Lianping prison in Guangdong province, was moved to tears when he learned his 72-year-old foster father had walked for more than 71 days to see him early this week.

Xie, who was sentenced to a four-year jail term in 2006, promised his father he would mend his ways.

The old man also moved many prison officers when they learned he had walked more than 1,000 km from his hometown in Taihe county, Anhui province.

Xie's father had to walk to Guangdong after his money was stolen at a railway station, as he was about to begin his journey. He said he was determined to see his son, as he had not seen him for more than a year.

Prison officers bought Xie's father a return ticket on the train.

(Nanfang Daily)

Fraudster's return home will last a lifetime

A Macao resident surnamed Feng was recently sentenced to spend life in prison for a series of frauds involving more than 30 million yuan ($4.29 million) in Zhuhai special economic zone, Guangdong province.

Investigators said that between February and December of 1994, Feng defrauded 100 people of 30.8 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.94 million) plus 2.69 million yuan by saying she could help them emigrate to Hong Kong. Feng then escaped to a foreign country in February 1995 after she lost all her money in casinos in Macao.

She was detained when she returned to Zhuhai a year ago. Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court also ordered her to pay a 1 million yuan fine.

(Guangzhou Daily)

'King of rats' reigns over Hong Kong's rodents

Li Jingjiu, a Guangzhou resident, recently earned the nickname "the king of rats" in Hong Kong after he caught 17 of the creatures within an hour.

That means he laid hands on a rat every three and a half minutes.

Li achieved this success on March 26 after deploying 50 rat traps, 10 glue patches and apples and roasted pork as bait in the streets favored by rats.

Li's skill in catching rats has earned him a reputation in Hong Kong.

Li, who is in his 50s, was invited to Hong Kong to help wipe out rats late last month.

(Southern Metropolis Daily)

(China Daily 04/09/2008 page6)