China puts child-smuggling gang on trial for sale of 118 babies
( 2003-10-16 16:33) (Xinhua)
A gang of doctors, nurses and hospital workers has gone on trial in southern
China for allegedly selling more than 100 babies to rural buyers, the official
Xinhua News Agency said.
A court in Yulin city, Guangxi province, on Wednesday charged 52 people,
including Xie Deming, Xin Lifang and a group of medical professionals, with the
illegal trade of 118 babies, Xinhua said.The court said Xie and Xin purchased
infants for 200 yuan (US$24) from Guangxi hospitals and sold them for profit in
Henan and Anhui provinces, further north.
``A baby could be sold for up to 1,200 yuan (US$145) in Yulin, and the price
normally exceeds 2,000 yuan (US$242) if the baby was taken to Henan or Anhui,''
Xinhua said.Police tracked down the gang in March and saved 41 babies from sale,
Xinhua said. Members of the gang confessed to police they had already sold 77 of
the children, the agency said.
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