Man sells son to pay restaurant bill

Much as we recognise times are hard, this story from The
Straits Times, Singapore, 1 August 2001 is a mind boggler: "A man in
central China has been charged with selling his one-year-old son to pay an
accumulated restaurant bill, state media said yesterday.

Liu Pengfei and his accomplice Wang Xinping had been charged
with child trafficking by a Henan provincial court, the Procuratorial Daily
said.

Liu, 25, owed 800 yuan ($S175) to Wang, who owned a
restaurant where Liu frequently ate without paying, the newspaper said.

He could not pay the bill and presented his son to Wang,
asking him to find a buyer. A few days later, he sold his son for 8,500 yuan."

Sad, sad, sad.