Cover-up of official bullying feared in 'schoolgirl prostitute' arrest

Police in Kunming, Yunnan province, this week made an arrest in the so-called 'primary schoolgirl prostitution' case, but sceptics suspect a cover-up of authorities bullying vulnerable citizens.

The case has taken many dramatic turns since two girls were detained for prostitution in March - wrongfully, it turned out.

And then the father of the two girls was arrested on Tuesday for providing a venue for prostitution, though the identities of the prostitute and customer were unspecified.

On the evening of March 16, Liu Fangfang, 15, and Liu Lili, 13, were seized by police in the street outside their home for alleged prostitution.

When their father, Liu Shihua, mother Zhang Anfen, and two friends came out to check on the commotion, they were pushed to the ground, beaten and taken away by police.

All six were released the next day because of insufficient evidence - a charge of prostitution requires perpetrators to be caught red-handed.

However, after their release the family went to the media with medical reports showing that the two girls were virgins. They were also unhappy about their alleged rough treatment that night. One of Mr Liu's friends suffered two broken ribs during the alleged beating. Yet the six were fined 3,000 yuan (HK$3,400) for attacking police.