Thousands of Chinese eager to leave the country and find their futures elsewhere seem to have been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous Chinese businessman with Canadian citizenship.
The companies, called “emigration agencies,” purport to help Chinese find jobs and visas overseas. In a range of provinces recently, including in Henan, Jiangsu, and Shandong, customers have mounted protests against the loss of tens of thousands of yuan as the company storefronts suddenly shutter.
In many cases, local authorities simply sent police to shut down the protests.
This took place in Henan, for example, when thousands of protesters gathered outside the provincial government building on April 21. Mr. Zhou, a victim, told Epoch Times that they went to collect their money after they learned that their visa application failed. The company was deserted, however, and riot police beat back the crowds, arresting 10.
A thousand more flocked to government headquarters in the city of Zhengzhou, hoping for an explanation and intervention. They, too, were met with force. The conflict extended into a third day.
