Michael Lovett Imprisoned In China 6 Mos

Drugged and Robbed at a Massage Parlour

In 2006 Michael Lovett was arrested and later imprisoned in China for six months. This story details the five days leading up to the arrest, and his escort to Guangzhou no.3 Detention Centre-a new, experimental prison that was in Chinese parlance, a center for re-education.

Lovett had been preparing for a week in Hong Kong with friends on his 45th birthday. He was there to scope out the job scene, pass out his resume and stay with a married couple. He had withdrawn a large sum of money for the trip, his passport at the ready. The plan for the evening was simple; have a few drinks with friends, go out for food and a massage, then retire early to catch the 6:30 am train out.

After having drinks with some friends at the bar, he headed for Xiao Bei Lu and a massage parlour where he soaked in a large wooden tub filled with very hot water, containing over 25 Chinese herbs. He drank some tea offered after the massage and began to feel woozy..

He awoke in the morning without anything but his dumped trousers; he had been drugged and robbed. He was missing his passport, wallet with $2,000 USD and China Bank debit card and a mobile phone. The thief wanted money for the return of the passport; ¥15,000 RMB.

Saturdays, most banks in Guangzhou are open, but without a manager and I.D. there was nothing to be done until the next day. He made a police report of his stolen property, and got a handwritten report to keep should anything turn up.

Sunday was no better at the bank, but a teller did something extraordinary--he gave Lovitt ¥50 RMB from his own pocket. Monday after going through the entire story again with the manager, he was given a new card and used it immediately to get cash.

He made plans to get an emergency passport to continue on to Hong Kong the following week. He had lost his bank card to a malfunctioning ATM and was at an internet cafe after a fruitless search when a contingency of "Jĭng Chá" (policemen) approached him, including the Sergeant of the police station where he made the report.

The police escorted Lovett to the station in an unmarked SUV. He was held for 24 hours, interrogated by the Public Security Bureau, who asked him about the incident with the ATM, unaware that he had been robbed. He was charged with destroying an ATM, damages--¥17,000 RMB and sentenced to prison for six months.

He was deported at night in an unmarked van with plain-clothed security police taking him to the airport. The American Consulat met him at the airport, 5 of his friends there as well to give him fresh clothes and put him on a plane to Tokyo.