Zhejiang police probe outlawed baby's death

WENZHOU - Police in East China's Zhejiang province are investigating the death of an outlawed baby who was run over following what seems to have been an argument over payment of fines levied under China's one-child policy, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The 13-month-old boy, the third child of a couple in Mayu Town, Rui'an City, was run over on Monday by a minibus owned by the Mayu government and died in hospital, a Rui'an municipal government official said.

In China, a family planning policy has been strictly implemented to rein in the nation's surging population by encouraging late marriages and pregnancies, as well as limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children, if the first is a girl.

Eleven officials from Qingxiang Community of the town were attempting to persuade the couple, Chen Liandi and Li Yuhong, to pay the fines for their third child at noon on Monday and were confronted by Chen, the official said.

They asked Li to follow them to the township government for further discussion, he said.

Chen was holding the baby as the minibus's engine was started, according to the official.

Chen said his wife was going to be taken to the township government and required to pay more than 30,000 yuan (4,773 U.S. dollars) in fines or she would be detained. The baby boy dropped to the ground in the tussle with the officials when he tried to stop his wife from leaving.

The minibus started suddenly and he was too late to pull his baby from its path, the father said.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

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