KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 ― Four violators of China's Covid-19 rules were paraded on the streets of Southern Chinese province of Guangxi as part of a disciplinary measure to punish those who break health rules.
The suspects were escorted by armed riot police, AFP reported quoting state media Guangxi News.
Extraordinary videos circulating of suspected people smugglers being publicly paraded in southern Guangxi province - a practice evocative of times past. The full hazmat suits appear to be common these days for criminal suspects... /1 pic.twitter.com/qtKaMKrkR4
— Bill Birtles (@billbirtles) December 29, 2021
The four wore hazmat suits and carried placards that displayed their photos and names as a large crowd gathered in Jingxi city.
A video shared showed each suspect held by two police officers ― wearing face shields, masks and hazmat suits ― and surrounded by a circle of police in riot gear, with some holding guns.
文革2.0之公审大会。 pic.twitter.com/WjIVQ5nLF4
— 方舟子 (@fangshimin) December 29, 2021
According to Guangxi News, the four had been accused of transporting illegal migrants while China's borders remain largely closed due to the pandemic.
Jingxi is near the Chinese border with Vietnam.
Other suspects accused of illicit smuggling and human trafficking have also been paraded in recent months, according to reports on the Jingxi government website.
Videos of a similar parade in November showed a crowd of people watching two prisoners being held while a local official read out their crimes on a microphone.
They were then seen marching through the streets in their hazmat suits, flanked by police in riot gear.
In August, dozens of armed police were seen marching a suspect through the streets to a children's playground.