Young migrant dies at work, co-workers demonstrate against the police
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Chinese police continue to monitor Beijing's Fengtai District, where a rare public against the authorities protest broke out on Wednesday. The latter are accused of covering up the truth about the death of Yuan Liya. The woman, a 22-year old migrant worker from Anhui, was employed at a clothing retail centre. She was found dead on 3 May of an apparent suicide, but her co-workers reject that explanation.
At first, police denied foul play saying nothing indicated it was a suspicious death. A statement posted on the Beijing police's page on weibo, later said that, following investigation, "poisoning, sexual assault and homicide had been ruled out as causes of death", describing instead her death as an "autonomous fall from a height". Family members did not object to the cause of death, the statement added.
However, the cause of death has been questioned by friends and fellow migrant workers. They do not believe she would have jumped, and started a peaceful demonstration to demand the truth.
The authorities responded by deploying van-loads of police in anti-riot gear against a crowd of about a thousand people. "Today security is so tight, I don't think anyone else will come and protest," a local source said.
Many weibo users were sceptical about the Beijing police's statement, and expressed incredulity that other causes of death had been ruled out so quickly.
Public demonstrations are increasing in the country, reaching into the tens of thousands each year.
Communist Party officials have admitted on several occasions that social instability stems from economic instability and corruption in the leadership and this is a "serious threat to the survival" of the existing system.
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