Yuemei Pan, the Chinese Woman Who Slapped a Jamaican School Girl, Has Apologised
Yuemei Pan, the 53-year-old Chinese national at the centre of a video that shows her slapping a 13-year-old school girl at a grocery store in Clarks Town, Trelawny, has been charged. She appeared before the court on Wednesday and was freed as no evidence was offered.
Many vocational high schools in China use drill instructors to create a military-like environment and instil discipline among students.
Yuemei Pan Apologizes
Yuemei Pan, the Chinese businesswoman who was at the centre of an incident that sparked outrage among Jamaicans after she slapped a 13-year-old school girl that she accused of stealing in her grocery store last month, has apologized to the child. The 53-year-old woman, who operates the store in Clarks Town in Trelawny, was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after a video of the incident appeared online. However, she was later freed from the charges as no evidence was offered when she appeared in court.
Entertainer Mr Vegas was the one who approached Pan and asked that she record a message to the girl to explain that what had happened was a misunderstanding. He said that he felt it was important to give the girl a voice and show her that she had nothing to be ashamed of.
The two would later be captured on camera embracing each other. The teen was also seen expressing her thanks to Pan for her apology. In a video, she said that it had been difficult for her to see the video and understand why people were angry.
She Has Been Freed From Charges
A drill instructor at a vocational high school in central China has been fired after he was caught on video slapping a female student. The incident took place last week after the camouflage-clad trainer argued with the girl, pushing her against the wall and kicking her twice before slapping her repeatedly.
Yuemei Pan, 53, was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm when the 30-second clip went viral. She was released when she appeared in court as no evidence was offered. The girl was reportedly accused of under-paying the shopkeeper. It is not clear what led to the slapped, but her father claims his daughter was a “straight A” student and did not steal anything. The incident caused outrage worldwide. The school has apologized to the family for the conduct of the instructor.
Video Of The Incident Goes Viral
A video that went viral after it emerged online showing a Chinese woman slapping a Jamaican school girl was a case of a misunderstanding gone really bad. The 53-year-old Yuemei Pan, who operates a grocery store on Main Street in Clarks Town, Trelawny, was arrested after the 30-second clip went viral, but was later freed from charges after she appeared before the Trelawny Parish Court and no evidence was offered to support her claim that the child was stealing from her.
The incident came to light after dancehall artiste Mr Vegas and members of the community rushed to the scene where Pan was seen slapping the teenager while shouting expletives at her. Pan has since apologised to the girl and was captured on camera hugging her.
However, despite police stating that two women sustained minor injuries, the incident continues to be debated, with rumors circulating that the victims are in worse condition than authorities have revealed. Speculation was further fuelled by a social media video that appears to show the police officer who was filmed slapping the teenager but does not capture what happened prior to it.
Police Arrest
The 53-year-old woman who slapped the 13-year-old girl in a video that went viral was arrested on December 7, the same day she allegedly assaulted the student. She was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm. When she appeared in court last week, no evidence was offered and the case was dropped.
The video shows Yuemei Pan jostling the teen as she accuses her of stealing from her store on Main Street in Clarks Town, Trelawny. Her slapping of the student was caught on camera by dancehall artiste Mr Vegas and members of the community. Pan apologised to the teenager, saying, “I’m sorry.”
Her mother, Ms. Xie Yiyang, was also at the scene. She told reporters that she was appalled and disgusted by what she saw. “She is a straight A student, she’s never been in trouble,” she said. “I’m really upset.”
Pan’s family is now demanding her return. They have hired attorneys and filed an official request to the procuratorate asking that she be released on bail pending trial.
Meanwhile, police continue to extort money from practitioners and arrest them for handing out truth-clarification materials. The local government has even banned some homes from being rented to Falun Gong practitioners.
A local resident, Ms. Xie, was detained in the Langfang Brainwashing Center for more than a month and then illegally sent to a prison in Nanchang. She is unable to take care of her elderly mother. Police also raided her home and took away two desktop computers, a printer, Dafa books and other personal items.
On January 22, Ms. Luo Aiyun from Xiangtan City was detained for giving out truth-clarification materials at a construction site. She is in critical condition.
Ms. Xie’s son, Isaiah Torres, is a 8-year-old boy with autism. He is a student at Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary School in Cutler Bay. He is on medication and is unable to express himself. The girl in the video is his sister. He was slaped in the face by a music teacher.
