well, I think that also utf8_general_ci should work. Can you look on particular tabel or view what is the rule for sorting? If it's utf8_general_ci then it is ok. Look this also on columns. You can loose data with switching this setting!
The difference is here between utf8_general_ci and utf8_unicode_ci:
forums.mysql.com/read.php?103,187048,188748#msg-188748
If this doesn't help, create new entry with these special characters in phpMyAdmin or just check your data in the table/view.
Regards,
Viljem