From Tianya forum via the EastSouthWestNorth blog:
A grandmother was detained five days for picking up 28 empty bottles on a train. An Internet forum post generated a firestorm, and the public security bureau had to apologize and rescind the penalty.
To obtain medical treatment for the three-year-old child, our family has been impoverished. During the 20-hour trip, my mother collected a total of 28 empty bottles. Some were hers, some were given to her by other passengers and some were picked up from the tables. But for my mother and my family, a nightmare would begin …
At 1pm March 27, my mother finally reached the destination of Shimen. At the exit, a man named Zhang stopped her and identified himself as a “special agent” of the railroad department. This man informed my mother: “Although you have a train ticket, the Railroad Department has issued an internal memorandum that scavenging is not permitted on trains.” During more than five hours of note-taking, testimony and examination, my mother pleaded again and again: “My granddaughter is only three years old…. [Full Text]
