Netizen Accuses Lanzhou Transport Authority of Malfeasance

From Tianya:

Lanzhou Transport Officials Abusing Authority: Father Picking Up Son Has Car Seized and Can’t Get Home (video and images included)

Lanzhou Transport Officials Abusing Authority Captured on Video

My family lives in Dezhou city, Sichuan province. Since it’s almost the end of the year, my father and mother decided to take the family van to Linxia to visit relatives. My parents came to pick me up at the train station so we could go together as a whole family. My father picked me up, and at around 11 AM as we were going by the Lanzhou Plastics Factory, we were waved over by Transportation Authority [Road Transport Administration] officials. After checking the vehicle’s registration/operating permit, they unexpectedly and without regard for right or wrong impounded the car in a parking lot under the pretext that “all vehicles carrying cargo boxes must obtain [commercial] operating permit and operating license.”

In the car we had a luggage case and a bundle of dried vermicelli. The vehicle’s registration was clearly marked “non-commercial,” but the Lanzhou Transport Authority paid no attention, saying it would be a fine of 100,000 yuan. I saw at the scene that the Transport Authority Officials inspected and easily confiscated vehicles as they pleased. Even if they found no problems, just entering and getting out of the parking lot would require paying 60 yuan, with the officers on-site taking 100, 200 RMB without so much as giving even a shred of documentation. When they caught me using my mobile phone to record video evidence, it annoyed the officers who said, “We’re done for the day, and will handle this in a few days”, never to be seen again.

So the car was confiscated without any recourse to be had, far from home, unable to get home. In the afternoon, we called the Lanzhou Transport Authority but nobody paid us any attention. We called the city mayor’s hotline, and they told us to talk to the Transport Authority…

There are three key considerations for illegal commercial transport: “long-term/frequency, for profit, and for unspecified persons.” The “Interpretation of Road Transport Regulations” explains commercial transport as: “transport involving financial transaction or receipt of remuneration, with profit as motive.” But that doesn’t match our car’s situation, so why did the Lanzhou Transport Authority disregard law and reason? Even detaining and inspecting those with operating licenses, just what law are they enforcing? Or is Lanzhou “extra-legal” territory [a land outside of the law]?

What I’ve described above is what I personally experienced today. At present, the remains impounded at the parking lot, and our entire family is at a loss for what else we could do, begging on our knees here that Lanzhou has a “Bao Qingtian” [A historic Chinese government official known for his honesty] who will appear, do something about this, and get us out of this mess so we can go home soon and celebrate the new year!

Contact number: [omitted]

Video screenshot of Lanzhou Municipal Road Transportation Administration Qilihe Bureau Enforcement Officer at the scene:

The vehicle confiscated/impounded:

The Lanzhou Municipal Road Transportation Administration Qilihe Bureau law enforcement vehicle:

Comments on Tianya:

黑石转轮王：

Damn, the Transport Authority is indeed very black [corrupt].
But the Transport Authority isn’t a violent institution, so those of you with lots of insurance can just run them over and be done with it.
Don’t even bother to stop when they wave you down, can’t be bothered to pay them any heed.

mrlzwzhdy：

Call the local news hotline, TV station hotline, etc. for help.

工程3248：

Holy fucking shit, what a bunch animals, just like the KMT in the old days.

锦上花花： (responding to above)

The KMT was much better [than the Transport Authority].

没明没夜：

That’s even worse than hijacking. It’s like the old saying: don’t be afraid of “black society” [organized crime, the mob], be afraid of society becoming black [corrupt].

wendyxiao_84：

One light van, and they want 100,000, these guys must have gone crazy over money.

特别关注2012：

Lanzhou Transport Authority

我是木云：

With the end of the year, they’re just trying to get some money [through unscrupulous means]. Who told you to go from Dezhou to Lanzhou? Their territory, so they get to be boss.

joor:

The Transport Authority are just state-endorsed bandits.