ALMOST A WEEK ON, THE SHOCK WAVES FROM the murder of an innocent female diner at a McDonald's restaurant in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province, by members of a banned doomsday cult are still being felt.

That the long-outlawed cult, the Church of Almighty God, a weird concoction that originated in the back-of-beyond, remains active and capable of doing harm; that the killing was carried out in the presence of multiple onlookers who failed to intervene; and especially that it occurred when police preparedness has reached a level unprecedented in recent memory are reasons why this tragedy has not been allowed to subside in our national consciousness.

There will undoubtedly be a harsh crackdown on the illicit cult. And, more likely than not, something like a periodical triumph might be announced soon. And a whole chapter might thus be turned over.