| http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,193495,00.html SHE was a popular gynaecologist who ran her own clinic which provided family medicine, childbirth and abortion services. But her practice in a rundown hut measuring only 15sqm (smaller than a one-room HDB flat) was illegal. She also allegedly sold abandoned babies. Her thriving underground business, which started in Longhua town in Shenzhen, China, eight years ago, was finally shut down by police on Tuesday. Apple Daily reported that Liu Jun, 40, used to work as a gynaecologist in the countryside. The Henan native arrived in Shenzhen almost 10 years ago and set up her clinic. She rented two spartan units at 80 yuan ($18) a month, staying in one while running her clinic in the other. According to villagers, her clinic initially offered only basic family medicine. But she expanded her business by delivering babies for 1,200 yuan. As this was a third of what hospitals charged, her business thrived. She also performed abortions. Under China's one-child policy, some couples who wanted male children either abandon or abort their female offspring. Customer base Since the town was home to many factories, Liu had a ready customer base of female workers, who came to her with unwanted pregnancies. Liu saw an opportunity to profit further by selling the babies abandoned by her clients. So she gave them the option of either aborting them or leaving the infants with her. Liu then allegedly sold the babies that she delivered. Liu's deeds came to light after a reporter posed as an interested buyer and made enquiries at her clinic. The reporter saw two babies, a 21/2-month-old boy and a 12-day-old girl. As the babies started crying, Liu started her 'sales pitch', telling the reporter that the boy's mother was a factory worker from Hubei. The girl's parents, both from Jiangxi, reportedly abandoned her because they already had two girls and were trying for a boy. Liu told the undercover reporter: 'I've always delivered healthy babies, and I sell both boys and girls. The boys go at 50,000 yuan and the girls at 20,000 yuan. You have to pay first and take the baby for a medical examination yourself. If the baby has any illnesses, you can return it to me for a full refund.' She added that the babies didn't have any names and had no recollection of their parents, so there would not be any problems. The reporter, armed with an audio recording of their conversation, went to the Longhua police station. The police immediately raided Liu's underground clinic and arrested her. They rescued the two babies and took them to a hospital for check-ups, and tried to trace their parents. 'Sold 50 babies' According to Oriental Daily, Liu had sold close to 50 babies in the last seven or eight years. Last March, Liu was arrested for performing illegal abortions, but she was released on bail because she had just given birth at the time and was breastfeeding. Hearing of Liu's arrest, her Hong Kong boyfriend rushed to the town. When the reporter approached him, he warned: 'Don't do anything funny, or you'll regret it!' Liu's brother also told the reporter: 'I'm the big brother here, everyone knows me, so don't mess around with my sister!' Her arrest was the talk of the town. A resident named Ms Hong, who has a child, said she knew about the underground clinic but did not patronise it as she was concerned about its hygiene. In China, child traffickers can be sentenced to death for threatening social stability. |