Crackdown saves more kid beggars

BEIJING - People forcing disabled children to beg in a county in East China's Anhui province have 10 days to turn themselves in or face harsh penalties from authorities, an official of Taihe county said on Wednesday.

The move, coinciding with a nationwide online campaign to crack down on child begging, came following media reports highlighting the area, where incidents of child begging have been an alarming trend.

Two disabled children have been rescued and five suspects detained in the county's Gongji town as a result of the crackdown, which started on Feb 6 and was carried out by 160 policemen and government officials, said Zhang Junguo, a local publicity official of the county.