Chinese Flight Attendant Claims Military Official Beat Her

From NetEase:

Guangzhou Yuexiu district military political commissar accused of beating female flight attendant

CCAOnline.cn 2012 August 30th report. On August 29th, a violent attack on a flight attendant by a passenger occurred on Southern China flight CZ3874 (Hefei-Guangzhou). According to reports, the victim and the assailant have been taken to the airport police station for investigation. According to the microblog post by Caijing reporter Li Weiao [see below], the attacker is Guangzhou Yuexiu district standing committee member and military political commissar Fang Daguo.

The following is a blog post that includes description of what happened by the flight attendant…

From a Yang Shao’s Sina blog:

When can the situation of flight attendants being assaulted end?

There were two passengers calling me, asking me to put their luggage on the overhead bin. There were two suitcases and several smaller items. Because at the time there were still some passengers who had not yet been seated, and these passengers’ luggage was piled in the aisle blocking it and the plane was waiting for the passengers to be seated in order to take over, I asked them to wait a moment and if they could first hold onto their luggage for a moment so the passengers behind them could pass and then I would help them. At this time, this husband and wife pair of passengers suddenly became very upset and angrily demanded that the on-board video equipment in the overhead compartment of row 55 be removed so they can put their luggage. I again explained to them that this on-board video equipment could not be removed. However, they wouldn’t listen. Suddenly, this male passenger lifted up his bag and hit my shoulder, immediately leaving a red mark. I immediately asked why he hit me. He said because I’m not helping him stow away his luggage, that I wouldn’t remove the video equipment. I again explained that this on-board video equipment can’t be moved. The husband and wife immediately pointed at me and began yelling at me, saying I’m delicate [dainty, unwilling to expend due effort], saying I’m a porcelain doll that can’t be touched [for fear of breaking, getting hurt]. Then the flight crew chief came and tried to mediate with the passengers. At the time, my arm was already bruising, and feeling wronged, I decided I would report this to the police. I took out my mobile phone and photographed my injured arms and the video equipment on the overhead bin that cannot be moved. After photographing and returning to the service area, the male of the two passengers charged at me and said I was photographing him whereupon I said I was photographing the video equipment on the overhead compartment. He charged into the service area and began grabbing and hitting me and even pulling at my clothes. And he even grabbed my mobile phone, leaving my body with bruises and red welts. My clothes were also ripped open. The flight crew chief finally managed to pull him away, and he was still continuously hurling insults. His wife even pointed at me and shouted: You’re nothing but a flight attendant! I know your boss!

This post received nearly 10k comments spanning 200 pages (at time of translation)…

Christinez

Are you a man or not? Are you a solider or not? And you still need a girl to help you put away your luggage?

程全Quan:

People who “know people” are simply arrogant. Even if I get fired I would hit back. Also, they should add some big manly men as flight attendants. I’ve seen them before on domestic Air Canada flights. There’s nothing bad about it.

super怪叔叔:

A big man hitting a little girl, and even ripping the little girl’s clothes, and you’re a National People’s Congress representative? Just who the fuck are you representing?

tdbtdbtdb:

The military hitting the ordinary common people is wrong. A man hitting a woman is wrong compounded upon wrong.

阿杰醫生:

Violence is indeed shameful…but when will the situation of countless delayed flights finally end…?

平静的小仇:

The assaulter should be considered a dangerous person and added to the black list of all the airlines.

独行水客:

Stay strong and don’t settle, everyone supports you guys!

拙言微语:

What about the husband and wife’s side of the story?

遛达鸡delifer:

That close with the [airline’s] boss? And still sitting in row 55?

时曾YY:

If the power of China’s public officials are not restricted, this kind of thing will continue happening.

From NetEase:

Guangzhou Yuexiu district standing committee member beats stewardess, says he knows the airline company’s leadership

Southern Daily report. Last night, a Southern China airlines air hostess informed this paper that she was beaten and insulted by a man on the Hefei to Guangzhou Southern China flight CZ3874 flight, resulting in bruises upon her arm, scratches on her neck and body, and her clothes being ripped. Not only this, when the plane landed in Guangzhou, this man threatened the flight crew saying he knows the leader/boss of Southern China airlines, and that he’s a National People’s Congress representative. This Southern Daily reporter arrived at the scene this morning at 1am, where the female flight attendant involved had already reported the matter to the police and both parties are still at the Huadu District North District police station recording their statements. At past 2am in the morning, the stewardess went to the hospital accompanied by a close friend to inspect her injuries.

According to the air hostess involved, based on the questions asked by the police, it was learned that the perpetrator’s name is Fang Daguo, a member of the Guangzhou Yuexiu district standing committee. The flight crew chief says Fang had hit and insulted the flight attendant after getting angry because he wanted to move a fixed airplane equipment to accommodate his luggage and had been refused.

The female flight attendant involved says incidents of airplane passengers making a scene and hitting people happen frequently, and she plans to use legal channels to defend the rights of both herself and all flight attendants.

From Sina Weibo:

@李微敖: Guangzhou Yuexiu standing committee member and military political commissar Fang Daguo beats female flight attendant. Information from Air China stewardess @花Money买毛豆 and others including @庄子慎之 and @杨大正: August 29th, on flight CA3874 from Hefei to Guangzhou, Guangzhou Yuexiu district standing committee member and military political commissar Fang Daguo, owing to a baggage stowage problem and without saying a word, directly used his luggage to violently beat female flight attendant @花Money买毛豆, and even called a military vehicle over after landing to threaten the flight attendant.

Caijing journalist Li Weiao’s microblog post was forwarded over 130k times and attracted over 40k comments and reactions spanning over 2000 pages on the popular Sina Weibo microblogging service…

Comments from Sina Weibo:

永恒的股票王：

Take down this evil tyrant! You think you’re so important just because you have power, overthrow him!

章绍龙：

Just going to repost/forward, not going to comment.

南瓜AFC：

Air drop him onto the Diaoyu Islands, equipped with one piece of baggage.

廖睿律师：

For an active member of the military, especially an active military official like this, to beat up a female flight attendant on an airplane is indeed very despicable! However, given his status as an active duty member of the military, it will be very difficult for this female flight attendant to uphold her rights.

刘柏柏：

Forget it, firing him would be letting him off too lightly, better sentence him to the Diaoyu Islands!

法律人一枚：

Now this is what I call a good cadre of the Party, a model for China’s military! To have the courage and boldness to treat the people with such vileness, how could the Party not have him in an important position?

ifftg：

We need Batman.

温和的民族主义者：

The flight crew chief should just directly throw this kind of person out of the plane.

yyy我夜不归来：

This kind of human scum, let’s see how our Party is going to deal with this. Following.

阿森纳九七：

If war happens with the Japanese, I wonder what he’ll be like at that time. Will he throw his baggage like a bomb? Grass mud horse garbage!

徐春松RESURRECTION：

Fucking government! Bastard government officials!

才让多吉:

Government officials always claim they are servants of the people, which sounds nice but in reality is not so. Look at their behavior, would servants beat up their masters like this? In theory they are public servants, but in reality they are the masters.

felidae-BSI：

Drag out Fang Daguo’s mother, slap her twice across the face, and it’ll be even.

成都多米诺：

It’s hard to hold those in the military accountable, but we can make him famous, and let even more people see his ugly face!

[Note: Members of the Chinese military enjoy certain privileges and are exempt from certain civil laws and prosecution.]

From NetEase:

Guangzhou Yuexiu district denies military political commissar beat air hostess

Dayoo.com report. The other day, “Yuexiu District standing committee member and military political commissar Yang Daguo beats female flight attendant” spread on the internet. After preliminary investigations, at 4:50pm on the afternoon of August 28th, Fang Daguo and his family of three were on Southern China flight CZ3874 flying from Hefei to Guangzhou. Because they had boarded late, an argument occurred with the stewardess over the stowing of luggage where his family member and the air hostess engaged in some pushing and pulling but Fang Daguo did not hit the female flight attendant.

After the flight landed, both parents went to the airport police station for investigation and mediation. Fang Daguo and his family members proactively expressed apologies to the other party. Additionally, it is understood that no such situation where a “military vehicle threatened the stewardess” that night. At present, both parents have already reached a settlement.

See also: “Political Commissar versus China Southern air stewardess” (ESWN)