arrests – Beijing Kids

Reported Arrests of School Staff Highlight Dangers of Flouting Chinese Law

Andrew Killeen — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 09:12:01 +0000

The reported arrests of two staff members working at Beijing international schools this week serve as a solemn reminder of the importance of complying with local laws.

Beijingkids understands that a husband and wife, working at two different schools, have been arrested, allegedly for using cannabis. Both have been summarily dismissed by their employers. It remains unclear if the staff were foreign or local.

The arrests come at a time when much of the Western world has been moving towards legalizing or at least decriminalizing the use of cannabis. The drug can be legally bought and consumed in many US states and several European countries.

However, the trend in China is moving in the opposite direction. At one time the use of what was viewed as a “foreign” drug by foreigners was largely ignored by police. However in the last few years, there has been a crackdown on all drugs, and cannabis is no exception.

In April 2015, five students at a Beijing international school, two New Zealanders and three Americans, were arrested for smoking cannabis. Raids on bars popular with expats, involving the compulsory urine testing of all customers, have become commonplace. For those arrested, immediate deportation with no chance to pack their belongings is the best case scenario. The less fortunate could spend long periods in detention prior to deportation, without charge or legal representation. And for those convicted of selling harder drugs like heroin, the death sentence is regularly imposed.

It’s important to remember that whatever the legal status of cannabis in your home country, it is strictly prohibited in China; and also that cannabis persists in the bloodstream in detectable amounts for weeks after use. If you are found to have drugs in your system, the argument that you were using them legally in a different jurisdiction is unlikely to be much help to you. And while cannabis is often regarded as being harmless, recent studies have found a link between regular use of stronger strains and psychosis.

If you’re concerned about someone’s drug use, you may find this article helpful.

Photo: Adobe Creative Cloud

Another Uber Arrest, while Didi Gets a Language Lyft and Kid Rides

vanessajencks — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Rude Public Taxis or Polite Ubers
Readers across our social platforms responded to our last Uber article with both shock and anger. Some vowed to never use Uber again, while others defiantly protested the conditions of public transportation, from taxis to buses to subways. Other than complaints of cleanliness, most comments revolved around the issues of price, customer service and driver attitudes. Kristiana L., 36, mom of 2, explained her reasons for picking Uber over Didi’s pool of public taxis:

“I chose Uber over Didi because when I downloaded both apps (a while ago), Uber was in English and easy for me to set up, without having to translate anything. I just stuck with it.”

Her experiences continued to validate her choice.

“I have to drop my son off at school before I go to work. When taking public taxis, there would frequently be the situation that the driver would get upset or frustrated if he had to wait while I went inside to bring my son to school. Of course, sometimes there was no problem, but it is just not a battle you want to worry about having every day during rush hour. Uber drivers simply nod their heads and we head to the school.”

She notes that there are disadvantages to Uber, like lack of fapiao and that drivers don’t know their way around as well as city drivers. Also, functional Chinese is a must since drivers always call to coordinate pick up.

Regardless, she points out, “I am really happy with Uber. Some drivers are better than others, but overall, it is just less stressful than taxis. And having kids, you try to minimize stress in any way you can, [especially in another country].”

Uber Drivers Spooked
Prompted by the buzz, another reader came forward with her story. Megan R., 29, from Rochester, New York was in Beijing for a visit with friends in early March. During her stay, her host set up an Uber ride to Solana for a shopping trip.

“The drive was fine. When we arrived, he pointed to the entrance. I got out, then a gentleman in plain clothes got into the front seat. I walked about fifteen feet toward the entrance when a couple of younger officers in uniform greeted me in English.”

They asked for her details and identification. The also took down her host’s phone number since Megan was in town for a short time and chose to go without a phone.

“I’m not scared of the police, and since the guy spoke English, I wasn’t nervous. When the driver was brought out of the car and handcuffed, he looked at me like he wanted help. He looked scared and nervous.”

Although her experience was much less frightening than the previous account, Uber drivers are responding to the crackdown. Community members have reported strange Uber behavior, from hugs to handshakes to star treatment.

“The day after a friend reported a similar incident, my Uber driver treated me to what felt like butler service. He greeted me loudly, then when we arrived at my destination, he got out of the car, opened my door, and shook hands when I got out before he climbed back into the car with a wave. If I hadn’t heard my friend’s story, I’d have thought he’d mistaken me for Mick Jagger,” said Mike Peters, 58, Food Editor at China Daily.

A Language Lyft
With these concerns from women and families in Beijing and the recent Uber arrests, Didi Chuxing’s timing may be perfect in partnering with Lyft and introducing a new service called “Baby Project” (Baobei Jihua).

Xiaoni Chen, a representative at Didi, explained parents can expect to see the new app floating around sometime before June 30 this year, the last day of China’s Q2.

When asked about the concerns of moms shared with our team, Ms. Chen responded that Didi’s current application allows for immediate feedback on driver performance so users are able to avoid drivers who have received poor ratings, while Didi uses this feature for quality control for their private drivers.

Didi’s private driver pool receives training in customer services on site and in person. Their elite hailing services provide a water bottle in the back seat, and a cell phone charge for a few extra RMB.

Many expats who are able to speak putonghua but cannot type and read hanzi were dismayed by the removal of the talk function. Lyft’s new application will be completely in English.

The application will also use both the public and private drivers in Didi’s pool of registered drivers.

Didi’s app in other countries has live translation services between driver and rider, but whether Lyft will also have this function is currently unsure. Ms. Chen said, “Lyft’s product details will not be available until after the launch.”

The First Kid Ride App of the Future
Also in a move to cater to the parent community, Didi announced on Thursday they are to release a service to provide safe commutes for children whose parents are unable to drive them to school, according to a report from AllChinaTech, a content partner of beijingkids.

Drivers must have a clean criminal record and more than ten years of driving experience, and pass a health exam. All drivers will take Didi-provided emergency training in first aid and child psychology.

Cars will be equipped with Britax car seats for children under the age of 12 and first-aid kits, and Didi will purchase insurance for drivers and passengers. Before you get too excited though – these services might only be available to those using the Didi Chinese app, not Lyft.

Source: AllChinaTech.com

SCMP Reports Loophole in Teacher Background Checks

Nimo_Wanjau — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 04:00:00 +0000

This year, at least four foreign teachers have been arrested in connection with sexual offences involving minors in China, according to a report in the South China Morning Post. In May, media attention centered on Neil Robinson, a formerly Beijing-based British teacher wanted for crimes in the UK. In June, an American kindergarten teacher named David McMahon was arrested in Shanghai over allegations of child abuse.

In addition, the media reported that tutors were also suspected of sexual offences against children. A 47-year-old man from California was extradited to the US and is awaiting trial in Washington on two counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct abroad. The man was identified as Hector Hugo Orjuela, who taught English in Shanghai where he tutored 5-year-old girls. If convicted, he could face a life sentence.

The issue that was highlighted by the SCMP was that cases of abuse by foreign teachers were not reported to the police even though the schools fired the suspects. This resulted in the teachers getting hired by other schools who knew nothing about their history.

How do convicted sex offenders get access to children? Simple: Teachers at the time did not require a background check. In June, Beijing’s Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security stated that all employment license applicants (irrespective of profession) would be required to hand in a “certificate of no criminal record.” However, this only targeted employees applying for a work permit.

When traveling in China with a tourist visa or business visa, civil documents are not a requirement. The “certificate of no criminal record” falls under the latter category. Some teaching agencies employ tutors with just a business visa, which means they don’t have to undergo a background check.

Another loophole is the court background check approval. According to Gary Chodorow, an immigration lawyer based in Beijing, there are three ways to get a background check certificate from the US: through the police, a court prosecutor, or the FBI. The police and the FBI require the submission of fingerprints; on the other hand, no fingerprints are needed for the court system (only a fee). The FBI requires the applicant to be present, while it tends to be more case-by-case with the police.

The court system in the US has three levels: local, state, and federal. A background check done at the local or state level remains within that jurisdiction. If one commits a crime in one state but moves to another, that person is likely to get a background certificate because there is no record of them in the second state. The Beijing government does not specify which level of court documents is needed for a criminal background check.

In the UK, the background check certificate can only be issued at the national level. In my home country (Kenya), I know that fingerprints must be submitted to national intelligence. If one is out of the country, you have to get fingerprinted at a police station in the country of residence, then mail them back to Kenya.

If a person doesn’t have a criminal record in their home country but commits a crime here, there is no centralized database to check their record. Some companies perform a background check with permission from the employee, while others don’t. The second route is illegal in China and is considered invasion of privacy.

In other words, it’s not enough for parents to ask for a background check certificate. Rather, you should demand a national or federal-level record for all tutors who come to your house. Chinese citizens can also get a certificate from the police, so you should ask foreign and local tutors alike.

Photo courtesy of Brendan Golan Gavitt(Flickr)