Public mood is never to be ignored

Two incidents that happened recently have caused a sensation across the country.

On May 10, three government workers of Yesanguan township in Badong county, Hubei province, visited an entertainment venue and asked for "special service" from a waitress. When the girl refused, one of the three men - an official - hit her on her head with a wad of money saying "Think I don't have enough money?" while another man said providing special service was her job. The girl argued against the humiliation and tried twice to leave the room but the official pushed her back on the sofa. The girl took up a knife to stab the official to death and injured the other man before surrendering to the police.

The media reports about the event soon caught nationwide attention and the number of online comments reached hundreds of thousands in just a few days. Ninety-nine percent of the comments expressed sympathy for the girl. Many appealed for lenient treatment for her; some even claimed she was innocent and called her "a heroine against rapists." The latest statement announced by the local police, however, differed greatly from the media reports and was so carefully couched that the officials appeared not that guilty.