The BLAMELESS Canadians (Canadian Girl Held in China)

[china]

China holds Ont. teen over theft

By DON PEAT, SUN MEDIA

The Toronto Sun

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A school field trip to Hong Kong isn't over yet for an Oshawa teenager after Chinese officials arrested her for shoplifting moments before she was to fly home.
The 15-year-old girl was waiting for a court appearance yesterday, Durham District School Board officials told the Sun.
Board spokesman Andrea Pidwerbecki confirmed the girl, a student at R.S. McLaughlin Vocational and Collegiate Institute, has been released from police custody into the "duty of care" of a teacher who stayed behind with her.
CONDITIONAL RELEASE
"The student is not detained in a jail but there are conditions on her movement and she's in the constant care of the two adults," Pidwerbecki said.
"A teacher and a spouse of a teacher stayed behind to accompany the student.
"They're waiting for a court appearance and after that, the authorities will determine the next steps."
The girl had been part of an eight-day school trip to China that flew out of Hong Kong on Sunday, Pidwerbecki said.
Officials have contacted the Canadian Embassy and hope to bring the girl home soon, she said.
SUNGLASSES
A trip chaperone, who wouldn't give his name, said the girl was arrested for stealing expensive sunglasses at the airport, forcing a 20-minute delay in takeoff.
Staff at the school directed all inquiries to board officials.
Pidwerbecki said the girl's parents were preparing to fly to China depending on the outcome of the girl's court appearance.
The incident comes on the heels of the ongoing saga of Trenton resident Brenda Martin who has been held in a Mexican jail without trial for more than two years.

Stop knocking others "mighty canucks" ,look at your self first .
China in China

 

[Sal]

lol...wow you haven't changed one iota since I've been gone.

Nice appeal to the emotional though. I'm not going to bite since the hook is huge and the worm way too small.

On a nicer note, how ya doing China?

 

[china]

doing fine Sal.
too much sun in China ,not enough sun glasses ....the expensive ones, lol

 

[DurkaDurka]

Wow China, a shoplifter in Hong Kong who happens to be a Canadian teen, what is the world coming to.

So what do you think is a just punishment China? Firing squad, lethal injection?

I guess

 

[karrie]

? oh no, our kids shoplift!? *gasp* We'd have had no clue!! Thanks for enlightening us.

 

[lone wolf]

Stop knocking others "mighty canucks" ,look at your self first .
China in China

Whall.... Seeing as you're in the neighbourhood and all, why don't you prove you're one of the good guys and go pay her a visit....

Woof!

 

[dancing-loon]

I think it is disgraceful and disgusting at the same time, as a visitor to steal from the host!!! Not hard to imagine she would take some antic dishes from my home, if she was my weekend guest!

First of all she needs to apologize publicly to the shop owner, then to the whole country. She also needs to publicly say she is sorry to all Canadians, for giving us all a bad reputation!!

As an atonement exercise she should be put on the street-sweeping-team in Honkong for a month!!

I'm NOT kidding!

 

[lone wolf]

I think it is disgraceful and disgusting at the same time, as a visitor to steal from the host!!! Not hard to imagine she would take some antic dishes from my home, if she was my weekend guest!

First of all she needs to apologize publicly to the shop owner, then to the whole country. She also needs to publicly say she is sorry to all Canadians, for giving us all a bad reputation!!

As an atonement exercise she should be put on the street-sweeping-team in Honkong for a month!!

I'm NOT kidding!

Right! She's 15 - and very likely a spoiled princess. Laws don't apply to her. She's a Young Offender ... in Canada.

Woof!

 

[dancing-loon]

Forgot! Bet she knew that!! But, what's the law in China?

 

[lone wolf]

Forgot! Bet she knew that!! But, what's the law in China?

She'd know how it is here. Laws there aren't as brat-friendly....

Woof

 

[dancing-loon]

That's good!;-)

 

[missile]

Here's a novel sentence for the child: put her to work in one of those chinese factories at the prevailing wage until she earns the cost of the glasses,trial, etc.:smile:

 

[missile]

Years later, she'll be allowed to return home:angryfire:

 

[DurkaDurka]

I think it is disgraceful and disgusting at the same time, as a visitor to steal from the host!!! Not hard to imagine she would take some antic dishes from my home, if she was my weekend guest!

First of all she needs to apologize publicly to the shop owner, then to the whole country. She also needs to publicly say she is sorry to all Canadians, for giving us all a bad reputation!!

As an atonement exercise she should be put on the street-sweeping-team in Honkong for a month!!

I'm NOT kidding!

She needs to apologize to the whole country? Are you off your rocker today Loon?


She stole a pair on sunglasses, she hasn't exactly shamed us, not that I would care what the Chinese thought about us anyways.

 

[karrie]

Apologizing to the whole country negates the privacy granted to young offenders. Seems a bit ridiculous personally. I don't think that this shames anyone frankly. It's a stolen pair of sunglasses. She didn't beat anyone up. She didn't rape someone. She didn't smuggle drugs. On the scale of possible criminal offenses, she scored a 1 out of 100. Throwing the book at her to make an example of her is exactly the reason that emotional reactions need to be kept out of judicial processes.

 

[karrie]

And I will carry on to say... it is China's right to detain her.

But if this were my country, holding a teenage visitor over a case of shoplifting, I'd be writing some angry letters and expecting the gov to pull their heads out of their arses. This sort of thing could be dealt with in better ways I'm sure.

 

[dancing-loon]

I knew my post would draw some ire or iron!!!

The poor kid! Just a pair of sunglasses!!! Not even worth mentioning!! Come on, Loon, give her break... she's only 15!!!

Therein lies the trouble!!
We here in Canada are so used to the petty crimes, it's a normal every-day occurrence. Nobody cares... signs of the times!!
But then, when these sunglass-cases move up the crime ladder and reach beatings, rape, drug smuggling... well, then ...o.k.... perhaps we should do something about it.

Nib it in the bud, I say! Don't belittle or put up with such behavior... not at all! If the kid didn't get it straight from home, then society has to teach what's right and wrong to him/her.

Karrie... start at #1, and hope they'll never reach #100!! And besides it didn't say she took a pair of sunglasses, she took expensive sunglasses, which could mean a bunch of them!!

 

[DurkaDurka]

Loon, many teens have shoplifted at one point or another and they do not end up as rapists, murders, drug smugglers etc.

 

[karrie]

If that's the way you view it loon, you work on getting the law changed to be stiffer ALL AROUND. You don't hold up one kid and make an example out of them. I won't argue that it could be stiffer. But I strongly disagree that you start with one kid, scared and alone in a foreign country, to make an example.

 

[dancing-loon]

Loon, many teens have shoplifted at one point or another and they do not end up as rapists, murders, drug smugglers etc.

I know that, Durka! I only listed them because Karrie mentioned those crimes as more worthwhile to pay attention to. I also know that a good portion of teen "crime" comes from troubled home situations.

My point remains... don't shrug these small beginnings off as not worth making a fuss over.