Chinese Premier vows to address social problems that led to school attacks

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has promised to address the underlying social problems that have led to the shocking incidents of stabbing in China's schools.

"We need to handle social problems, resolve disputes and strengthen mediation at the grassroots level", he told Phoenix TV on Thursday.

Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu ordered police forces to ensure criminals "dare not and cannot" get their hands on children, the China Daily reports.

He stressed that security measures in privately-run schools and kindergartens as well as those in remote areas and rural regions should be reassessed to stem risks.

The directive followed Wednesday's deadly attack in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the fifth on children in the past month.

Many social scientists in China have attributed the attacks to pent up and deep rooted rage felt by the perpetrators due to their abject economic conditions. Engulfed by a feeling of helplessness amd frustration, these men became unhinged leading them to commit these sordid acts.

There is a common thread running linking the attackers, most of them were men in their 30s or 40s and were unemployed.

"Severe punishment is not a deterrent because they are not afraid of death, which has been demonstrated in some cases in which the attackers later committed suicide," said Law professor Li Yunlong Li, who is at the Jiangxi provincial academy of social sciences.

"Their motives are to exact revenge on society and expose social problems, such as unemployment and unfair distribution of wealth," he added.

These desperate men sadly ended up making children their target because of the lack of security in schools.

"They turned to children to express their resentment because they had no direct targets to do so, and compared to other places, schools and kindergartens are not as heavily guarded," Fang hangchun, associate professor at the sociology department of Nanjing University, told the paper. (ANI)