BEIJING - The killing of a 13-year old boy in northern China last week, for which three boys are in police custody, has triggered a heated discussion in the media on juvenile crime and the plight of children left at home by migrant workers.

Police arrested three boys and took them into custody after they allegedly bullied and killed the junior high school student in the small city of Handan on March 10, and then buried him in a shallow pit, state media reported. So far, no charges have been made.