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Teen Beaten to Death at Camp for Internet Addicts

Staff killed 16-year-old for running too slowly

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 5, 2009 4:05 PM CDT

(Newser) – A Chinese teen was beaten to death by staff at a boot camp in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Global Times reports. The parents of Deng Senshan, 16, paid $1,024 to send him to the Guangxi Qihang Survival Training Camp to cure his Internet addiction. Deng was put in solitary confinement within hours of arriving at the camp, and later beaten to death during a discipline session for running too slowly.

Realizing Deng was seriously injured, the camp staff sent him to a hospital 3 hours after the beating, where he died 10 minutes after arriving. Police have detained the three camp counselors involved, but Deng’s parents say they want the camp shut down. “We’re planning to sit before the local government for a protest tomorrow. If they don’t give us justice, we will go to the camp to confront them,” Deng Fei said.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese children browse the Internet at a primary school in Zaozhuang, China, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Sun Zhongzhe)

In this June 17, 2005 file photo a 12-year-old boy receives electric shock treatment for his Internet addiction at the Beijing Military Region Central Hospital in Beijing. (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)

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My son was very healthy and was not a criminal. He just had an Internet addiction when I left him at the camp. We can’t believe our only son was beaten to death.
- Deng Fei, father of Deng Senshan

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Teen Beaten to Death at Camp for Internet Addicts