Biz in the Jungle – “pain in the ass”
August 5, 2010 by Frank
This story appeared in the Shenzhen English language newspaper earlier this week and while the story is unbelievable, unless you have lived and worked here, I thought there were parallels that could be drawn to doing business here in the jungle. It doesn’t need an introduction – my comments throughout:
From the Shenzhen Daily August 4th 2010 Page 3
“Derriere-stitching woman goes to police”
LUOHU police began investigating the case of a midwife allegedly stitched up the anus of a new mother after delivery in response to not having received a cash bribe, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. You gotta be kidding.
The husband of the unidentified woman took the case to police, according to the Daily. Luohu police confirmed they had accepted the case and another hospital had been commissioned to inspect on the woman’s injury. The husband, identified as Chen, also said that the hospital had attempted to silence him. Really, someone with power or a little more money or some guangxi (relationships) tried to silence him, say it aint so.
The woman had claimed that the midwife, Zhang Jirong, had sutured her anus after delivering her baby at Shenzhen Phoenix Hospital after Zhang had asked for a “tip,” or a cash bribe. The case has attracted wide media attention owing to its bizarre nature. This is not bizarre after having lived here for awhile. I see it on a weekly basis with my clients who own and operate factories and businesses here and it can be a real pain in the ass.
Chen told the Daily yesterday that the hospital had asked him to sign a statement refusing media interviews, and that a director of the hospital had tried to bribe him into silence. My clients have been asked to sign confidentiality statements and agree not to talk to the media in exchange for money or supposedly increased relationships with the local government officials who are supposedly relatives of the offending party – usually employee/manager/partner factory etc………….
Chen also told the Daily that he had been harassed by an “unidentified strong man,” who had warned him to “shut his mouth.” My clients have been visited by “strong men” and they are really strong. Not the small people from the south, but, enormous men from the north wielding knifes and other implements.
Zhang denied the extortion claims to media last Thursday and claimed not to have carried out the unauthorized surgical procedure. From the Clinton school of spin – always deny and they always do, even when presented with irrefutable evidence because after they deny, they cannot admit or they will lose face. It’s a crazy place with some crazy rules.
Chen had told media that Zhang entered his wife’s ward without his knowledge to remove sutures from her anus to “destroy evidence” after the incident was exposed. This claim was denied by Zhang last Thursday. I advise all of my clients to not allow access to files, computers, financial information, client records or any other critical company information. Many of them say “but, I trusted Zhang” he was with me for 5 years and didn’t cause any problems until I didn’t give him the bonus so he could help his sick brother in Hunan.
The city’s health authority said the conclusion of an earlier examination by four medical experts was “not final,” and was just an “administrative investigation.” The City will likely stay out of this one. Smart.
Under media pressure, the health authority had sent four senior doctors to the hospital last Thursday to examine the woman.
After a 10-minute check, the director of the anorectal department at Shenzhen No. 1 People’s Hospital, Wang Dong, told reporters there was no sign that the woman’s anus had been stitched up and that she had been suffering from hemorrhoids. This is the best part of the story. Wang Dong says it was hemorrhoids, so it must be hemorrhoids! Okay story’s over, everybody go home now.
For those of you who have been on the receiving end of an anal stitching or similar act, you know the levels some of these people will go in order to extort or simply to receive vindication for some perceived wrong. (It’s not just here in the Jungle – although they seem more brazen) You might also know of the difficulty in recovering from the damage they can do and are capable of causing to your company. Best to be proactive and protect your assets, operate above the law and have clear agreements with employees and partners that define rights and obligations, and most important – don’t trust the Midwife.
