Arrest of Alleged Child Arsonists for Internet Cafe Fire Shocks China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, June 20, 2002

Arrest of Alleged Child Arsonists for Internet Cafe Fire Shocks China

The arrest of two young teenage boys, who allegedly set fire to a Beijing cyber cafe, prompted shock and soul-searching in China on Thursday. It's said the 13-year-old would avoid punishment because China's criminal law exempts those under 14 years from criminal responsibility. The older boy could be tried for arson.

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The arrest of two young teenage boys, who allegedly set fire to a Beijing cyber cafe, prompted shock and soul-searching in China on Thursday.

The boys, aged 13 and 14, had confessed to police they used gasoline to set the Lanjisu Internet Cafe ablaze to take revenge on staff who would not let them use computers there, it was announced late Wednesday.

The children, identified only by the surnames Zhang and Song, were arrested the previous day, the Beijing city government said in a statement.

"Both admitted they often went to play in the Internet cafe. Two weeks ago they had a disagreement with the owner of the Lanjisu cafe and in revenge they bought gasoline and set it on fire. They admit the facts," the statement said.

"I burned the Lanjisu with gasoline because they would not let us play there," one of the boys, who had dyed blond hair with a black "Z" cut into the back, was shown saying on a Beijing television station.

The 24 people who died in the blaze in the early hours of Sunday morning are all students at nearby universities and schools.

When the fire broke out, they were trapped inside the unlicensed second-story cafe, which had bars across its windows and just one exit, which was locked. Another 13 people were injured, many suffering terrible burns, according to reports.

Problem in education of youth

As soon as news of the arrest broke, China's Internet chat rooms---one of the freest public forums for discussions available to Chinese people---erupted with shock, anger and concern about social stability.

"This is not an issue of Internet bars. It's a problem in the education of our youth," said one writer.

"These two boys were going to school. How can the school allow them to have haircuts like that? ... Did the teachers and principal bother to pay attention to them?" one participant asked.

The Beijing government statement said both youths were regularly absent from school following their parents' divorces of the two families.

Investigators had found traces of gasoline at the scene of the blaze, and the boys had been seen buying gasoline at a nearby gas station around three hours before the fire, it said.

The statement did not specify how the boys would be dealt with, but the 13-year-old would avoid punishment because China's criminal law exempts those under 14 years from criminal responsibility, according to Beijing-based China Daily.

The older boy could be tried for arson, but would likely be given a relatively lenient sentence if convicted, it said.

Within hours of Sunday's blaze, authorities announced that all the 2,400 Internet cafes in Beijing----only 10 percent of which are licensed---would be shut down for pending investigation. The blaze also led to a crackdown on Internet cafes in other cities.

Beijing's vice mayor Liu Zhihua Wednesday condemned the popular hangout spots as "opium dens" for the country's youth, while state media has criticized the cafes as a bad influence on youngsters.

The businesses have sprouted across China in recent years due to growing demand for Internet and computer access. Large numbers of mainly young people gather there to meet, chat on-line and play competitive computer games.

24 Killed, 13 Injured in Beijing Cyber Cafe Fire

A total of 24 persons were killed and 13 others injured in a cyber cafe fire in suburban Beijing early June 16 morning.

The fire broke out at around 2:40 in the Lanjisu Cyber Cafe located in the No.20 compound, Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District. Beijing's fire department sent fire engines to the scene right after getting the alarm, and the fire was put out by 3:30.

Investigation into the fire is underway.

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