China executed 29 members of violent gangs, targeting...

China executed 29 members of violent gangs, targeting robbery and murder rings in a "Strike Hard". The condemned included Zhang Jun and 13 of his followers, who were put to death in the southern province of Hunan and the southwestern city of Chongqing for a nine-year murder and robbery spree that left 28 people dead. In a crime that shocked China and grabbed national headlines, Zhang's gang killed seven people and injured five during an attempt to steal cash being transferred to a bank from an armoured car.The victims included a teller and a trainee killed by shots to the head and three policemen gunned down while guarding the armoured car. The gang was caught after a manhunt involving 1,300 policeman. After his arrest, Zhang confessed to previous murders and to ordering followers to kill to guarantee they would not betray him to police.Zhang's mistress Quan Hongyan, one of those executed, was quoted as saying she had killed at his command. The other gang members were identified as Li Zejun, Chen Shiqing, Zhao Zhenghong, Yan Ruoming, Xu Jun, Li Jinsheng, Qin Zhibi, Yan Min and others.In the northeastern province of Liaoning, 15 members from three gangs were executed for crimes including illegally making guns, robbery, theft, rape and racketeering.State media have reported the executions of more than 500 convicts since launching "Strike Hard" in April 2001. But some diplomats said the number may actually be higher than 700, based on tallies of reports in local newspapers.