Police punished after lovers fined for a hug

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has punished three policemen for detaining and fining two young lovers 5,000 yuan ($660) for hugging in public on the Chinese version of Valentine's Day.
The couple paused to embrace while taking a stroll along a river in Jinshi in the central province of Hunan, the Shanghai Daily said.

"As we hugged each other, three policemen came and separated us so they could ask questions. They brought us to the police station and didn't free us until we paid a 5,000 yuan fine," the paper quoted female detainee, Xiao Hong, as saying in an Internet posting on a local news portal.

The police were in plain clothes and many other couples were out strolling on the evening of "Qi Xi" -- a local festival often dubbed Chinese Valentine's Day, the Beijing News said in a separate report.
Internet users poured derision on the police, which "forced officials to look into the case," the paper said.

"The three policemen have been punished. We have never dealt with such a case before," the paper quoted a clerk at the police station as saying.
Police had refunded the money to Xiao Hong's boyfriend and apologized, the paper said.

Police in China have previously taken a dim view of public displays of affection. Last October, volunteers offering "free hugs" in a shopping street in Beijing were hauled away for questioning. [hahaha...free hugs....]