Grieving Parents Gain Clout In China; POLS 495

Parents groups - whose members' children were hurt or killed in various tragedies such as the milk scandal, the Sichuan earthquake and the Tiananmen Square massacre - have become an emerging political force in China. Zhao Lianhai created a Web site for parents of children hurt or killed by contaminated milk. He did not set out to challenge the Communist Party, but he did it because his son was sick. The 3-year-old had been diagnosed with kidney stones and Zhao was scared. He needed advice. Within days, more than 4,000 families signed up, and soon the discussion evolved from technical questions and answers about medical care to demands for punishment and compensation. It is good to see that Chinese people are gaining more freedom to openly speak out about problems in the country.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/27/AR2009032703292.html