At the airport of Kunming, exasperated passengers left on the ground ransack the offices of the airline. Meanwhile, the police arrest and accuse of "terrorism" even those who only speak of attacks, possibly joking. According to many, it is the result of the greater repression imposed for the Games.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Protests and violence are increasing with the approach of the Olympics. In spite of closer monitoring on the part of the police, migrant workers and ordinary people are expressing their frustration and disappointment.

Last night, more than 170 passengers devastated the offices of China Southern Airlines, at the airport of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Yesterday, an evening flight was canceled because of bad weather, and the passengers were left to spend the night in the waiting room, with no sleeping arrangements or food provided by the airline. After hours, exasperated, they began to demolish the computers and furniture of China Southern Airlines, overwhelming police efforts to control the situation. At about two o'clock in the morning, they were told that a hotel was ready, and more than 60 of the passengers went, only to be told that the company had not reserved any rooms. They returned to the airport, and completed the destruction.

Last week, also in Kunming, bombs on two buses killed two people and wounded 14. A few days before this, rioting by farmers was halted by bloody police action. In recent weeks, there have also been violent uprisings in Guizhou and Zhejiang: in May, an attack on a bus in Shanghai killed three people.

The government continues to ask for "order and harmony" before the Olympics, but tension is on the rise. On July 23, on a popular chat site, one person wrote that he was responsible for the bombs in Kunming and that there would be attacks all over the country: he was arrested the same day.

Yesterday, two other people were arrested, in Yangzhou (Jiangsu) and Fuzhou (Fujian), for spreading rumors about a possible bombing attack. Arrests over nothing more than false information, in Yangzhou with the accusation of "spreading terrorist news", is a symptom of the growing tension in the country, which is also demonstrated by the spread of violence and police reactions. In Qingdao, the police are trying to arrest the people who left five different telephone messages warning of risks of terrorist attacks. The population now confirms that the Olympics are taking place in an atmosphere of repression and persecution.

• china
• protests
• demonstrations
• violence
• police
• repression
• beijing
• olympics
• terrorist
• attacks
• bombings