Several protesters injured and arrested after police cracks down on former soldiers protesting in Jiangsu
Thousands of ex-servicemen and women who gathered in Zhenjiang class with police sent by the local government to disperse them. War veterans have complained for years about broken promises and unpaid benefits; they demand better retirement and welfare plans.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A rally by Chinese military veterans demanding better retirement benefits has ended with violent charges by police.
For five days, thousands had gathered in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, to demand better treatment and the end of attacks against protesters demanding protection for their rights in various parts of the country.
Some former soldiers told the South China Morning Post that the rally turned ugly with the arrival of hundreds of armed agents, sent by the local government to quell protests and disperse the crowd.
In an attempt to "convince" protesters to return home, police injured several veterans who ended up in hospital.
China’s 57 million ex-military personnel who fought in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1979) have been fighting for years for a better retirement and welfare deal and complain that what had been promised was never delivered.
In 2017, President Xi Jinping had pledged to tackle the issue and in April, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs opened for business in Beijing.
A former military man from southern China’s Guizhou province said he was upset at how the latest protest had ended.
“We had to make a compromise . . . but we are still very angry,” he said. “Assaults on veterans is a public humiliation of China’s military, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg on the issue.”
Another veteran said that retired servicemen and women from across the country had joined the demonstration in Zhenjiang after hearing about and witnessing violent attacks against their former colleagues.
He added that since May there had been multiple assaults by “gangsters and thugs” hired by local officials to “maintain stability” in Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, Hainan, Henan, Anhui and Liaoning.
Some protesters complained about the arrests of fellow ex-servicemen and women. One veteran was unable to provide details of those injured or held, and local authorities were unprepared to comment on the matter.
Another eyewitness to the protest said, “We veterans realised that we have to join together to fight for our dignity, because even though the central government set up the Veterans Ministry several months ago nothing has been done.”
.png)
16/02/2018 10:36
