Victims of Tangshan restaurant attack recovering from injuries, Chinese police say
The assault, which took place in the early hours of June 10, saw several women repeatedly kicked and punched by a group of men. It sent shock waves across China after surveillance footage of the incident was leaked online.A day after the attack, the Tangshan police issued a statement saying two women were hospitalized with “non-life-threatening injuries” and were in “stable condition.” No other information was provided. The victims, as well as their friends and family, have also remained silent.On Tuesday, 11 days after the assault, the public security department of Hebei province, where Tangshan is located, released a lengthy statement, saying two of the women, aged 31 and 29, were “hospitalized in the general ward for treatment, and their conditions have improved.” The other two victims, aged 24 and 29, did not need hospitalization, it added.According to a forensic report cited by the police, the hospitalized women suffered “second-degree minor injuries,” while the other two had “slight injuries.”The initial absence of information But the statement was met with incredulity online, with many criticizing authorities’ handling of the case. A In the statement Tuesday, the police said four of the suspects had traveled to Tangshan from eastern Jiangsu province three days before the attack to conspire with the other five to “carry out illegal online gambling and money laundering activities.” Several of them had criminal records, for offenses ranging from illegal detainment to intentional harming of others, the statement added.Police authorities have also launched an internal investigation into whether the local police station had failed to respond in time, and whether they violated any laws and regulations when enforcing the law. A deputy head at the local police station had been suspended, the statement said.