Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210715

A29
world news Diahuebs 15 Juli 2021
Chinese parents, abducted son reunited after 24 years

Guo Xinzhen, then age 2 1/2, as an adult, according to a po- Others called for buyers of
was grabbed by a woman and lice ministry statement. His trafficked children to be pun-
her boyfriend who took him identity was confirmed by a ished. There was no word
northwest to Hebei province, DNA test. on whether the couple who
which surrounds Beijing, the bought Guo Xinzhen would
Chinese capital, according to The woman and her boy- face penalties.
police. From there, he was friend, identified only by the
sold to a couple in central surnames Tang and Hu, were Guo Xinzhen grew up in
China. caught and confessed to traf- Henan province, according
ficking three boys, according to police, but no other details
Abductions of children for to the ministry. They have yet of his life have been reported.
sale are reported regularly in to stand trial, but potential It isn’t clear whether he knew
China, though how often it penalties range up to death. he was abducted.
happens is unclear. His mother, Zhang, de-
Blood samples from Guo scribed her despair in a 2015
(AP) — After 24 years of ince of Shandong, according The problem is aggravated Xinzhen’s parents were television interview.
heartache and searching, to a video recording released by restrictions that until 2015 added to an “anti-abduction
a Chinese couple were re- by police. allowed most urban couples DNA system,” but no match- Guo Gangtang, now 51,
united with their son who only one child. Boys are sold es were found with boys who started his search carrying a
was abducted as a toddler The story of their reunion to couples who want a son to were believed to have been flag with his son’s photo and
outside their front gate. after Guo crisscrossed China look after them in old age. abducted, the police ministry details, including “a scar on
by motorcycle searching for Girls go to parents who want said. his left little toe.”
Guo Gangtang and his wife, his son and became an activ- a servant or a bride for an
Zhang Wenge, hugged their ist who helped police return only son. Kidnappers target children Guo wrote on his social me-
26-year-old son with tears other missing children to who are too young to know dia account that he wore
in their eyes Sunday at a re- their parents prompted an Police experts found Guo their names or hometowns out 10 motorcycles riding
union organized by police outpouring of public sym- Xinzhen in June by searching and sometimes even that they through 30 of China’s 34
in their hometown of Lia- pathy and condemnation of databases for images of peo- were abducted. provinces and regions.
ocheng in the eastern prov- abductions. ple who looked like he might

France celebrates Bastille Day amid virus fears, tensions

(AP) — Bastille Day is back, and cyclists calmly weaved unclear.
sort of. through the crowd.
Just before the ceremony, a
France celebrated its nation- Organizers of this year’s soldier identified as Maximil-
al holiday Wednesday with parade dubbed it an “opti- ien proposed to his girlfriend
thousands of troops march- mistic Bastille Day” aimed in a picturesque moment on
ing in a Paris parade, war- at “winning the future” and the backdrop of the Arc de
planes roaring overhead and “celebrating a France stand- Triomphe, earning a round of
traditional parties around ing together behind the tri- hearty applause.
the country, after last year’s color (flag) to emerge from
events were scaled back be- the pandemic.” While that Macron and his wife Brigitte
cause of virus fears. optimism was widely felt spoke at length after the cere-
in France a few weeks ago, mony with families of troops
Two horses stumbled while those watching an elaborate President Emmanuel Ma- clouds have returned to the killed or wounded in the line
parading on the Champs- fireworks show at the Eiffel cron. Some cheers rose up national mood as the delta of duty. On the eve of the
Elysees, tossing their uni- Tower on Wednesday eve- from civilian onlookers as variant fuels new infections. event, Macron reiterated his
formed riders, but overall ning. Macron rode past restaurants, push for greater defense co-
the day’s main event went luxury boutiques and movie Leading the parade were operation among European
according to plan, and looked Spectators converged on Par- theaters that were shuttered members of a European force countries, and greater global
a lot like Bastille Days of the is from around France, glad for much of the past year and fighting extremists in Mali defense efforts against Islam-
past. One soldier even used to be able to see the parade in a half. and the surrounding Sahel ic extremists.
the occasion to propose to person even if frustrated with region. Macron announced
his girlfriend on the cobble- the restrictions and long lines But not everyone is cheering last week that France is pull- “This moment of convivial-
stoned avenue, kneeling and for virus security checks. his handling of the pandem- ing at least 2,000 troops from ity, of reunion ... is first and
kissing her hand. ic. Some cafe owners, hospi- the region because of evolv- foremost for us the opportu-
“I came especially for my son tal workers and parents are ing threats, and focusing nity to address our brothers
The virus was never far away, who is marching today,” said pushing back against his de- more efforts on the multi-na- in arms and their families,
however. A small group of Gaelle Henry from Norman- cision this week to require all tional Takuba force instead. and give them a message of
protesters angry over new dy. “It’s nice to be able to get French health care workers gratitude,” Macron said.
vaccine rules skirmished with out a little bit and finally get to get vaccinated, and a spe- Among others honored at the
police amid bursts of tear gas some fresh air and think that cial COVID pass for anyone parade were military medics Last year’s parade was can-
in Paris. Meanwhile, wor- all the people are here, and over 12 going to a restaurant. who have shuttled vaccines celed and replaced by a static
ries about resurgent infec- that we are getting back to to France’s overseas territo- ceremony honoring health
tions prompted some towns normal a little bit.” Many doctors and scien- ries, treated virus patients or care workers who died fight-
to curtail annual fireworks tists, meanwhile, are urging otherwise helped fight the ing COVID-19. France has
gatherings. Masks were ubiquitous tougher measures to contain pandemic. lost more than 111,000 lives
among spectators, and de the virus. Mirage and Rafale fighter jets overall to the pandemic.
At the Paris parade, the num- rigueur for the dignitaries A few hundred protesters thundered past in formation.
ber of onlookers was limited. watching the parade under a chanting “Liberty! Liberty!” In the final moments of the Bastille Day marks the
Each person attending had red-white-and-blue awning marched through eastern parade, two horses stumbled, storming of the Bastille pris-
to show a special pass prov- emulating the French flag. Paris on Wednesday, con- throwing their Republican on in eastern Paris on July 14,
ing they had been fully vac- fronting riot police who fired Guard riders onto the pave- 1789, commemorated as the
cinated, had recently recov- The clatter of hundreds of tear gas to try to disperse the ment. The guards quickly birth of the French Revolu-
ered from the virus or a had horseshoes accompanied advancing crowd. Protest- brought the horses under tion.
negative virus test. Similar military music as uniformed ers and police kicked the tear control and led them away.
restrictions were in place for guards on horseback escorted gas canisters at each other, The reason for the fall was