five students have been injured in an attack on school children today which was the third such incident in three days.
Police demonstrates how to fend of attackers with a restraint stick in china- Photo by : Ap
The third attack on Chinese school children in three days took place in Weifang, Shandong Province, North East China.
The attacker named as Wang Yonglai, has been reported to have been killed during the attack after he set himself alight.
According to officials, the five children who were attacked by the man with a hammer are in stable condition and have not sustained life threatening injuries.
It was said that the man had grabbed two children before setting himself alight but teachers around the attacker were able to grab the children from the burning man.
Today’s attack was the fourth which took place on school children in China and the fifth in two months. Yesterday, Thursday 29th, a man had been arrested after he burst into a school and stabbed 32 people at a nursery including a 29 children aged four-years-old, two teachers and a security guard.
On Wednesday, 28th, 15 students were again injured by a knifeman who burst into the classroom and started to stab the children randomly in Guangdong province.
Last month another man hacked to death eight children at a school yard while the students were preparing to enter the class room in Fujian province. A man has since been executed for the attack last month on wednesday.
Psychology experts in China are saying that the assaults are copycat attacks after the Chinese and world media gave huge coverage of the incidents.
Government officials have also urged schools to recruit extra security staff, while Beijing schools are being protected by police patrols during student arrival and leaving times.
One school has even gone as far as giving weapons to the security guards to fend of any would be attackers.
A professor at the school of social and behavioural sciences at Nanjing University, Zhu Li told a Chinese newspaper that people in lower societies should receive much more help from the government.
Zhu Li, said “If they get desperate and can’t get help from others, like mental guidance and physical support from families or community workers, it’s possible for them to do something with serious consequences,”
A survey published by the China Daily has also highlighted the poor record of the Chinese authorities regarding Mental illness.
The survey in which 113 million Chinese residents, all over 18, were interviewed from all corners of the country. The findings were shocking. From the 113 million people interviewed 17.5% (almost 20 Million) were found to have a mental illness.
from the almost 20 million people with mental illness, many did not receive treatment depending on the geographical location of the residents.
According to the finding, Shandong province where the hammer attack took place today, only 11% of the mentally ill received treatment. Another appalling figure was that in Qinghai province, there is just one hospital which has the right skills and knowledge to treat mentally ill patients. Qinghai province, had 5.5 million residents.
