China Scene: West

Good post-quake conduct wins schoolboy a reprieve

Chen Jiang (not his real name), a high school student in Pengzhou, Sichuan province, received notice from Pengzhou Procuratorate on Thursday that he will not be indicted.

Chen lost the bicycle he had borrowed from his classmate on Jan 1, and decided to steal enough cash to compensate him. That night he was caught taking 700 yuan ($100) from a couple in the city, but as he is still technically a juvenile, local police ruled that he receive re-education at home. Chen worked hard in the effort to help victims of the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, and also studied assiduously. The procurate's decision was made in consideration of Chen's exemplary post-quake behavior.