China's 'occupy' toilet protests spread

A Chinese student is hoping to become a heroine for women around the world by launching an occupy movement of her own -- in the men's toilets.

Fed up with long queues for ladies', Li Tingting made headlines when she and 20 women marched into a men's public toilet in the southern city of Guangzhou carrying colourful placards calling for equal waiting times for both sexes.

Now, she plans to take her protest to the capital Beijing, where China's leaders will gather next month for the annual meeting of the country's rubber-stamp parliament.

"We want senior officials to pay attention to this issue," she told AFP. "It is a big issue for many women. During the protest in Guangzhou, we conducted random surveys and found that the majority of people supported us."

Local media reported after the protest that provincial officials in Guangzhou had responded by agreeing to increase the number of women's toilets by 50 percent -- a pledge Li says should be taken nationwide.

The issue has sparked a debate on the Internet, although not everyone is impressed by the protest.

"The Americans occupy Wall Street, the Chinese occupy toilets. This is very different," posted one blogger under the name huashuo xian.

AFP