Archive for ‘public protest’

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09/02/2013

* China to compensate woman for detention in old morgue

China seems determined to allow its citizens to petition central government and to stop local authorities from preventing this from happening.

Reuters: “China will compensate a woman who was held in a disused morgue as punishment for going to Beijing to petition against her husband’s jailing, state media said on Friday, in an unusual case of the government overturning an extra-judicial detention.

Chen Qingxia was held for three years in an abandoned bungalow once used to store bodies in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province after being abducted from Beijing by security officials, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

She had gone to the capital to seek redress for her husband, Song Lisheng, whom she said had been mistreated while serving an 18-month sentence at a re-education through labor camp, Xinhua added.

While China routinely dismisses Western criticism of its human rights record, the government does respond to some abuses, especially the more egregious ones reported by domestic media, in an effort to show that authorities are not above criticism

Chen’s plight came to public attention in December after media reported that people found posters she had put on a window of the building pleading for help, it said.

Four officials, including three police officers, had been fired in connection with the case, Xinhua added.

The government will pay medical bills and living expenses for her and her husband and step up efforts to find their young son, who became separated from Chen when she was abducted in Beijing, it said.

The amount of compensation has yet to be decided.

Chen’s case is the second reported in a week of the authorities taking action over illegally detained petitioners. A court in Beijing sentenced 10 people to up to two years in jail for illegally detaining petitioners from another city, state media said on Tuesday.

Petitioners often try to take local disputes ranging from land grabs to corruption to higher levels in Beijing, though only small numbers are ever able to get a resolution.

In many instances, they are rounded up by men hired by provincial authorities to prevent the central government from learning of problems in outlying regions, forced home or held in “black jails“, unlawful secret detention facilities.”

via China to compensate woman for detention in old morgue | Reuters.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/07/14/china-top-leaders-vow-to-better-handle-peoples-petitions/
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Posted in China alert, Good news, Human rights, Illegal practices, Justice, labour camp, Petition, Politics, public protest, Reform, Rule of law | 1 Comment »

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09/01/2013

* China censorship storm spreads, Beijing paper publisher resigns in protest

Another editor stands for press freedom. Brave man, indeed.

SCMP: “In the aftermath of a rare confrontation between Chinese journalists and Communist Party censors, the publisher of a large Beijing-based newspaper has resigned.

news1.jpg

Dai Zigeng, the Communist Party-appointed publisher of the Beijing News, announced his resignation on Tuesday night after a heated argument with propaganda officials over the publication of a controversial editorial, three senior editors at the paper told the Post on Wednesday.  They were all at the scene and heard Dai tell his Communist Party bosses, “I now verbally submit my resignation to you,” in the early hours on Wednesday.

It remains unknown whether Dai’s resignation has been officially accepted by Beijing propaganda authorities.

The Beijing News has a daily circulation of more than half a million, according to its Web site.

The editorial in question, originally published in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times on Sunday, was seen as an official response to the recent strike and protest at the Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly. It blames the clashes at the Guangzhou paper on freewheeling journalists and “hostile foreign forces”. Global Times is a subsidiary publication of the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, People’s Daily.

Propaganda authorities had ordered an unknown number of daily newspapers throughout the country to run the editorial in their Tuesday editions, but only a small number of newspapers complied on that day. Dai and his staff had refused to publish the editorial after they received orders from Beijing Party censors to do so. But a Beijing propaganda official threatened to disband the newsroom and close the newspaper if they continued to disobey.

The Beijing News ran the Global Times editorial on page A20 in Wednesday’s edition . But page editors refused to put their names at the bottom of the page in protest, editors told the Post.”

via China censorship storm spreads, Beijing paper publisher resigns in protest | South China Morning Post.

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07/01/2013

* China newspaper journalists stage rare strike

I wonder how long and how far central government will tolerate this dissent.

BBC: “Journalists at a major Chinese paper, Southern Weekly, have gone on strike in a rare protest against censorship.

Demonstrators gather along a street near the headquarters of Southern Weekly newspaper in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, 7 January 2013.

The row was sparked last week when the paper’s New Year message calling for reform was changed by propaganda officials.

Staff wrote two letters calling for the provincial propaganda chief to step down. Another row then erupted over control of the paper’s microblog.

Supporters of the paper have gathered outside its office, reports say.

Some of the protesters carried banners that read: “We want press freedom, constitutionalism and democracy”.

Police did not interfere with the protesters outside the paper’s offices, according to reports.

“The Nanfang [Southern] Media Group is relatively willing to speak the truth in China so we need to stand up for its courage and support it now,” Ao Jiayang, one of the protesters, told Reuters news agency.

If the Southern Weekly strike continues for any length of time, this scandal will create a major headache for China’s new leader, Xi Jinping. Since he took the reins of power in Beijing, Mr Xi has generated kudos for his seemingly laid-back, open style of leadership. But the Southern Weekly uproar will force him to reveal his hand when it comes to censorship.

Will he support Tuo Zhen, the zealous propaganda chief who ignited the fracas at Southern Weekly by censoring its editorial message? The highly-popular newspaper has experienced run-ins with government censors in the past, but its stellar reputation has also allowed it to publish hard-hitting reports on a wide range of sensitive topics, from working conditions at Foxconn factories to the spread of HIV in China’s rural areas.

Other major Chinese media outlets have been forced to toe the government line in recent years, leaving Southern Weekly unrivalled in its pursuit of top-level investigative journalism. If Mr Xi allows Southern Weekly’s special status to be wiped away, he risks tarnishing his carefully cultivated reputation as a humble man of the people.

Southern Weekly is perhaps the country’s most respected newspaper, known for its hard-hitting investigations and for testing the limits of freedom of speech, says the BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing.

Chinese media are supervised by so-called propaganda departments that often change content to align it with party thinking.”

via BBC News – China newspaper journalists stage rare strike.

Posted in Censorship, China alert, Politics, public protest | Leave a Comment »

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31/12/2012

* Report confirms blog’s power in fighting graft

This research report confirms what has been obvious for several years: the power of the Internet over formal communications channels.

China Daily: “Micro blogs, like the social networking site Sina Weibo, have improved authority’s efficiency in handling anti-corruption cases, but also pose challenges in distinguishing true from false, according to a recently released report by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Public Opinion Research Lab.

Of the 24 widespread micro blog reports this year, nine have been confirmed as frauds, the report said.

“The micro blog plays a major role in fighting corruption nowadays, but posts online need to be carefully sifted to find what is reliable information,” the report said.

As more netizens become familiar with and participate in fighting corruption, more messages spread each day that await authorities’ attention, said Xie Yungeng, an expert in public opinion and new media at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

“A regulation should be established on what kind of reports discipline authorities should respond to and set time limits for their response,” he said.

“The new way of fighting corruption is testing the wisdom and ability of disciplinary bodies,” said Zhu Lijia, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Governance.”

via Report confirms blog’s power in fighting graft[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

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01/12/2012

* China home marooned in middle of road is bulldozed

Not what he asked for but more than originally offered – ends the stand-off.

BBC: “A five-storey home marooned in the middle of a new road in China for more than a year because its owner refused to leave has finally been demolished.

Home demolished in Wenling in China's eastern Zhejiang province, 1 Dec 2012

The road, in China’s’s eastern Zhejiang province, was built around the house because duck farmer Luo Baogen was holding out for more compensation.

Mr Luo, 67, said he had just finished the home at a cost of $95,000 and had been offered only $35,000 to move.

Officials say he finally accepted $41,000, and the bulldozers moved in.

Media attention

The home had earned the nickname “nail house” because, like a stubborn nail, it was difficult to move.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said Mr Luo and his wife had accepted the new compensation offer and had moved to a relocation area with the help of relatives on Saturday morning.”

via BBC News – China home marooned in middle of road is bulldozed.

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22/11/2012

* Lone stand against wrecking ball

Even China cannot stop the determined individual protester. But this situation highlights the many protests against inadequate compensation for having to move home. The interesting thing about this post is that the source is China Daily, a state-sponsored news website.

China Daily: “An isolated five-floor building is standing in the middle of a new road that will soon be open in Wenling, Zhejiang province, the People’s Daily reported.

Lone stand against wrecking ball

A family from Xiazhangyang village insists on living on the isolated building, because they are not satisfied with the relocation compensation offered by the government, the neighbors said, according to the captions of the photos taken on Wednesday.

To guarantee their safety, neighboring rooms next to them are being kept from demolition, though the neighbors all moved out.

The road, which leads to the Wenling Railway Station, hasn’t been put into use yet.”

via Lone stand against wrecking ball[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

Posted in China alert, Citizens's rights, Construction, demolition, Economics, Human rights, Justice, public protest | Leave a Comment »

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28/10/2012

* Protests Against Expansion of China Chemical Plant Turn Violent

The Chinese public are increasingly taking to the streets when environmental and other disturbing issues seem to be intractable. Initial police response is almost invariably violent. But, as has happened so often before, with social media and the internet and camera phones, it is becoming harder and harder for the authorities to assert their physical power as they used to. Not only do these incidents gain national coverage but, as this article shows, often they get international press as well. Something the central authorities do not welcome at all.

NY Times: “A week of protests against the planned expansion of a petrochemical plant in the port city of Ningbo turned violent on Friday and Saturday when demonstrators attacked police cars and tossed bricks and water bottles at officers, according to accounts from participants posted on the Internet.

The protesters, who witnesses said numbered in the thousands, were opposing the expansion of a state-run Sinopec plant, which is already one of the nation’s largest refineries. Local residents, citing environmental concerns, have been demanding that the government move the plant from Ningbo, a prosperous city of 3.4 million in Zhejiang Province, not far from Shanghai.

The clashes come at a delicate time for the government, as it prepares for a once-a-decade change in leadership that is scheduled to begin on Nov. 8 during a weeklong series of meetings in Beijing. Public concerns about industrial pollution have become a problem for the governing Communist Party, which often backs economic growth over public concerns about environmental degradation.

In recent years, educated urbanites have harnessed social media to stage street protests against the construction or expansion of factories, mines and refineries. Although such demonstrations are illegal and organizers face arrest, they sometimes have the desired effect.

In July, officials in Shifang, a city in China’s southwest Sichuan Province, canceled plans for a huge copper smelter after tens of thousands of residents joined protests that turned violent. In September 2011, a solar energy company in Jiaxing, near Shanghai, was closed after demonstrators cited noxious chemicals used in the manufacturing process. And in August of that year, officials in Dalian, in northeastern China, said a petrochemical plant would be closed and relocated after at least 12,000 people took to the streets.

In a statement, the Zhenhai district government condemned those it blamed for organizing sit-ins and blocking roads in Ningbo but insisted that public sentiment would be taken into consideration before the start of construction. “Detailed information will be published when environmental reviews are implemented, and public opinions on the project will be heeded,” the statement said.

Residents have expressed concern about the refinery’s production of ethylene and paraxylene, known as PX, a toxic petrochemical used in plastics, paints and cleaning solvents. The demonstrations, which began on Monday when 200 farmers blocked a road near the district government’s office, according to the state media, grew larger on Friday, reportedly after student organizers issued calls through social media outlets.

Photographs of the weekend demonstrations, many taken by cellphone, appeared to show riot police officers swinging batons as they chased protesters or beat those who had fallen to the ground. Censors worked quickly to delete images and witnesses’ accounts posted on Sina Weibo, China’s popular microblogging service. The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, an organization based in Hong Kong, said 10 people were injured after the police fired tear gas and moved to break up the protests, which took place in Tianyi Square in downtown Ningbo.

In a series of online posts on Saturday, Chen Yaojun, a local lawyer, described how the police had quickly tackled and dragged away protesters who dared to chant slogans. He said he, too, was arrested after he tried to protect a young student who was being beaten by the police. After he was dragged into a police van, Mr. Chen said, he talked to a young policeman who expressed regret for the rough handling of the protesters. “We have no choice,” the officer told him.”

via Protests Against Expansion of China Chemical Plant Turn Violent – NYTimes.com.

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17/09/2012

* Foshan driver jailed in toddler hit-and-run case

BBC News: “A man who knocked down a toddler in a hit-and-run case that caused outrage in China has been jailed for three-and-a-half years, state media say.

Hu Jun hit two-year-old Wang Yue on 13 October last year in the southern city of Foshan and drove off.

Security camera footage showed 18 pedestrians and cyclists failing to stop as they passed the little girl lying in the road.

A woman finally came to her aid but the girl died in hospital a few days later.

The report, by Xinhua news agency, said Hu was convicted of “involuntary homicide” by a Foshan court.

He thought he had hit something but did not stop to check, the agency said, citing a court statement.

He received a lenient sentence because he surrendered himself to police and paid part of the toddler’s medical expenses, it said.

The accident prompted a public outcry about morality in the country and a discussion about why those who passed by did not stop to help.

The rubbish collector who did help the little girl, Chen Xianmei, was later named a “national role model”.

The BBC’s John Sudworth in Shanghai says a spate of cases in which injured people sued their rescuers is said to have led to people in China being too frightened to intervene.

But some commentators wonder whether China’s rapid development and urbanisation has undermined old moral certainties, suggesting that new legislation is, at best, only part of the solution, he adds.”

via BBC News – Foshan driver jailed in toddler hit-and-run case.

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31/07/2012

This post supports my view that the Chinese authorities are trying very hard to listen to the people.

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Posted in China alert, Citizens's rights, corruption, Democracy, Food safety, Good news, Human rights, Illegal practices, Inequalities, Justice, Petitions, Politics, public protest, Reform, Rule of law | 3 Comments »

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29/07/2012

* China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest

BBC News: “Authorities in China say a project to build a waste water pipeline in the city of Qidong has been scrapped after a protest over pollution.

Demonstrators took to the streets of the city, north of Shanghai, and ransacked local government offices. They said the pipeline, proposed as part of a paper-making company, would pollute their coastal waters.

China has seen rising anger about environmental damage after three decades of rapid economic growth.

The thousands of protesters overturned cars as well as storming the local government offices and throwing documents from the windows. Items which the protesters allege are often received as bribes by officials – such as wine – were also seized from the offices, reports say.”

via BBC News – China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest.

Yet another example that ‘people power’ is beginning to affect decisions by local authorities in China.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/07/03/china-factory-construction-halted-amid-violent-protests/

Posted in China alert, Ecology, Economics, Good news, Pollution, public protest | 2 Comments »

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