Public protests are becoming the only way to get the attention of those in power as people try to protect their rights. Media attention is seen as key to getting Beijing to act. But local potentates are responding with increasing violence, beating and prison for those who demonstrate.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Social unrest goes on unabated in China as people continue to take to the streets to protest the corruption of local authorities, hoping to draw the attention of the media and the government in Beijing. Despite the central government’s appeals in favour of a “harmonious society,” local potentates respond with greater violence and intimidation to stop news about unrest from leaking out.

Szechwan. In the predominantly Tibetan part of the region, the authorities arrested protesters and violently suppressed demonstrations against mining on Yala Mountain (Dafou County), one of Tibetan Buddhists’ nine sacred mountains.

State news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that villagers gathered around a lead and zinc mine at Yala Mountain on May 27 and tried to stop it from operating. Several cars and some mining equipment were smashed, but no one was injured.

Protests continued and international media reported the disappearance of eight residents and the injuries of many more.

Five villagers were still in detention but order had been restored, regional authorities said yesterday. The detained villagers were being questioned for vandalism, but "living and working order" in the area had been restored.

Beijing intends to continue exploiting the area's rich natural resources, including gold, copper and natural gas, despite of opposition by ethnic Tibetans.

Zhejiang. Armed police clashed with more than 30,000 people demonstrating against the forced demolition of a house in Shaoqing. Two protesters were arrested, one for ‘obstructing a public road,’ and many more were beaten up.

Eyewitnesses said armed police kept kicking two people who fell down to the ground, provoking more people to join the confrontation.

Demonstrators opposed to the demolition of a four-storey building in downtown Shengzhou stood on guard for hours.

Since 2004 residents have rejected the local government’s offer of 2,481 yuan (US$ 325 per square metre).

The government has already demolished other buildings in the area and this one prevents it from further pursing its plans.

In Wenzhou (Dongtou County), also in Zhejiang, More than 60 villagers gathered outside a county government office building last night after two villagers were injured in a blasting operation carried out by local officials trying to level a mountain to create 284 hectares of land at a nearby beach, for a property development which a provincial high court ruled on December 28 was illegal.

Tianjin. On June 16, a 57-year-old man was beaten to death by six police officers in a conflict between officials and relocated residents, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

Szechwan. The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported that in May residents in Jiulong village (Guangan) protested over the death of 15-year-old Wang Qiang, allegedly murdered by two gang members. One of the two gang members is the nephew of the area's police chief and he was not charged in the incident. Ten people were injured in the riot.

In an effort to prevent news of the incident from spreading, and hampering their political careers, government chiefs ordered a media ban on coverage and cut the village's telephone services, the group said.

However, the incident was eventually reported to the central government. Both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered further investigations which led to the shuanggui—a Communist Party disciplinary measure—of six  high officials including the police chief, and the arrest of more than 30 mafia members who had close ties to the local government.

But the authorities are still denying that anything untoward happened.

Guangzhou. In Haizhu hundreds of retired soldiers were attacked by riot police on June 20 after asking authorities to raise their pensions. Many of the protesters were decorated war veterans, wearing their original uniforms with medals won in the civil war of the 40s or the Korean War of the early 50s.

The protest, which was part of a decade-long effort to increase veterans' pensions, ended with police breaking up the crowd and sending them home.

Retired soldiers' representative Xie Suqing, 52, told the South China Morning Post that he was picked up by police on her way to demonstrate on Wednesday and suffered a fractured vertebra during questioning. She said a Chigang police station deputy director then came to the hospital to warn her against reporting the incident to the media.

Veterans in Guangzhou have a monthly military retirement allowance of around 1,000 yuan a month. By comparison, government officials of the same rank are paid up to 9,000 yuan.

Protesters complain that whilst the central government has repeatedly issued directives since 1998 ordering local governments to improve the lives of retired soldiers and cadres, lower-level authorities simply ignore them.

Chen Guangcheng. Chen, a blind human rights activist jailed for protesting against forced abortions in his village under China’s one-child policy, was beaten up by fellow inmates, according to his wife Yuan Weijing. She said that since he went on a hunger strike he has become much weaker. He is allegedly in prison since last August for inciting residents in his village of Dongshigu (Shandong) to cause public disorder. Chen has always denied the charges.

Hebei. Ning Yongfeng, a former Communist Party official in the village of Jiuzhou (Langfang) has been charged with murder for allegedly shooting four fellow villagers last week in an apparent act of politically motivated revenge. The victims were having dinner in a restaurant before they were killed.

According to the Beijing News Ning was removed from his position as party committee director earlier this year after complaints were filed against him for corruption, perhaps filed by the victims or their supporters.

Local residents said that a party committee election held last year was tainted because some hired thugs were sent to the polling station.

Two of the victims, Wang Hanzhong and Li Aijun, had just been elected committee members.

• china
• social
• unrest
• corruption
• violence