In a bizarre incident near the Thailand-Myanmar border, a Chinese man was trapped in an abandoned well for three days. Villagers had heard strange cries coming from a nearby forest, but mistook them for ghostly sounds, according to Thai media reports. It wasn’t until police dispatched rescue personnel to the forest that they heard a voice responding to their calls. The crew located the source of the voice and found 22-year-old Liu Chuanyi at the bottom of a 12-metre-deep well, Independent reported. The rescue operation lasted 30 minutes.

Mr Chuanyi was found in a weakened state and had sustained serious injuries, including a fractured wrist, cerebral concussion, and bruises, after being trapped without food or water for three days and nights. He was rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention.

According to Mr Chuanyi, he strategically shouted for help once every hour, conserving his energy during his three-day ordeal. Meanwhile, nearby villagers reported hearing strange cries, which they attributed to paranormal activity. As a result, they avoided venturing outside after dark and didn’t investigate the noise further.

Authorities believe that Mr. Liu accidentally fell into the well while attempting to navigate his way out of the forest. The circumstances surrounding Mr Liu’s presence at the Thailand-Myanmar border remain a mystery, and authorities have reached out to the immigration department to investigate how he ended up in the area. In the meantime, local authorities are taking proactive measures to prevent similar incidents by sealing the well with a cover, ensuring the area is safer for everyone.

The incident has sparked widespread attention on Chinese social media, with many users sharing and discussing the harrowing story. 

One user wrote, “A Chinese man shouting for help in the middle of nowhere? Of course, the locals can’t understand the language and might think it was a wizard uttering spells.”

Another commented, “Kudos to his strength and stamina. Struggling for three days and nights but still yelling; this guy is truly impressive.”

A divorce court in China has ordered a man to pay his disabled wife 30,000 yuan (approximately Rs 352,000 or $4,200) as compensation after he called her “trash”. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the court described the man, named Zhao, as a domestic abuser as he frequently insulted his wife, surnamed Qian. The couple got married in 2007 and became parents to two children, but their lives changed after Ms Qian became disabled in a traffic accident in 2015. 

After the car crash, Mr Zhao’s attitude changed towards his wife, the outlet reported. He began to disrespect Ms Qian, ignoring her and verbally abusing her. When he filed for divorce, Ms Quan consented and made a claim for damages. During multiple hearings, the court learned that Mr Zhao showed no love or care for his wife. When Ms Qian needed more support because of her disability, he constantly humiliated and oppressed her instead. 

The court believed Mr Zhao did harm to Ms Qian. It ruled that his belittling behaviour towards the wife had constituted psychological abuse and his verbal attacks had totalled up to domestic violence. 

The court decided Mr Zhao should pay Ms Qian compensation of 30,000 yuan and be awarded only 40% of the value of the jointly-owned property. 

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The story saw a lot of angry reactions from users on Chinese social media. “There was no need to humiliate her. She must have suffered a lot,” one user said. “Since the beginning of her disability, the man’s purpose has clearly been to divorce her,” said another.

“Do you not think the penalty was too mild?” asked another. “How did she tolerate the abuse for years? Poor woman,” expressed a fourth user. 

Notably, China’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law of 2016 stipulates that abusers who cause severe injury or death to victims can be jailed for up to seven years.