A Chinese woman who posted a complaint about a petrochemical plant near her hometown in China to the White House's online petition page says she got an unexpected order from police: Take it down.
The woman, who asked that only her initials, B Y, be used so as not to anger the authorities, said today that she could not comply. The White House website does not allow people to remove petitions.
Police in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan province, have declined to comment. But B Y's petition problem last week highlights how prickly Chinese authorities are about Internet dissent, perhaps especially when it involves the United States.
B Y says she turned to the White House site after seeing other Chinese post a petition about an unsolved, 18-year-old poisoning case.
