Even if true, the following isn’t something you want to be caught saying on tape if you’re a government official:
“If the police don’t beat people, what’s the point of keeping them? The police are the government’s violence machine.”
I mean, yes, technically. Policemen are enforcers, strictly necessary when the laws that maintain peace and stability within a society are usurped by belligerent individuals bent on selfish interests. But in a country of chengguan, enforcers who sometimes seemingly beat people for the wrong reasons, perhaps we might want to avoid reminding people of beatings such as this and this.
SCMP, which translated the above, adds:
The official’s remarks came when a resident of an apartment building complained about the developer, according to reports. No other information was given about the incident.
The Nanfang Daily newspaper reported on Tuesday that the official had been ordered to “reflect deeply”, but authorities had declined to reveal his name and position.
(H/T Alicia)
