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Guards detained over prisoner escape

China Daily, September 26, 2011

• Prison authorities in North China's Hebei province are conducting an internal investigation over a jailbreak that drew national attention and raised questions on how the escaper managed to remain free for 13 days.

  Wang Zhenqing was caught in his hometown of Dancheng, in neighboring Henan province.

  Wang Zhenqing, 43, was caught on Saturday in his hometown of Dancheng, in neighboring Henan province, 470 kilometers away.

  He fled from Hebei Provincial No 3 Prison in the city of Shenzhou at 6:15 am on Sept 11, jail officials said.

  "The Hebei Department of Justice and Hebei Prison Management Bureau have dispatched a work team to investigate those responsible," said a notice on the official website of the provincial department of justice. The case will be treated seriously."

  A Shanghai newspaper, the Oriental Morning Post, quoted an unnamed source in the prison as saying the superintendent had been replaced and guards on duty the day Wang escaped had been detained.

  Wang's escape had triggered heated debate on the Internet.

  Some called him a hero, and said they would offer him help if they came across him.

  Xia Xueluan, a sociologist at Peking University, said the phenomenon reflects younger Chinese holding views that increasingly diverge from mainstream thinking.

  "They try to show support for the disadvantaged without considering the cause of the disadvantage.

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