Eyewitness: Chinese police, protesters clash after villager’s death

CNN

By Eve Bower, CNN

January 2, 2011 —

(CNN) — Villagers and police clashed outside a small town in southeastern China on Saturday, one week to the day after a popular local leader there died under contested circumstances, an eyewitness said.

The eyewitness, who asked not to be identified because of safety concerns, said villagers threw rocks at police at a major intersection on a road between the towns of Hongqiao and Puqi, outside of the city of Wenzhou.

Authorities chased protesters, the eyewitness said. They beat some and arrested others, the person said.

CNN was not immediately able to independently verify the account of the protest.

The incident was not reported in China’s official state media, and the Chinese government had not released an official statement on the clash as of late Saturday.

The eyewitness sent CNN amateur video of the event, which showed police and groups of villagers clustered around a busy intersection. At one point, what looks to be a rock is thrown into the crowd. People scurry away.

Earlier, activists and journalists in the area had announced on Twitter that local villagers were planning a protest march in response to Qian Yunhui’s death and its aftermath. The march was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday in the town of Hongqiao. More…

Suspicious Death Ignites Fury in China

nytimes.com

By XIYUN YANG and EDWARD WONG

December 28, 2010

Police responded to the accusations that Qian Yunhui was murdered.

A man lies on a road with his eyes closed, blood streaming from his half-open mouth, his torso completely crushed under the large tire of a red truck. One arm reaches out from beneath the tire. His shoulder is a bloody pile of flesh. His head is no longer attached to the flattened spinal cord.

The man in the photograph, Qian Yunhui, 53, has become the latest Internet sensation in China, as thousands of people viewing the image online since the weekend have accused government officials of gruesomely killing Mr. Qian to silence his six-year campaign to protect fellow villagers in a land dispute. Illegal land seizures by officials are common in China, but the horrific photographs of Mr. Qian’s death on Saturday have ignited widespread fury, forcing local officials to offer explanations in a news conference. More…

Informations

Wenzhou (温州) est une ville de la province du Zhejiang浙江en Chine. On y parle une forme très particulière du wu.

C’est une ville portuaire située à 400 km au sud de Shanghai dans une des provinces les plus petites et les plus peuplées de Chine : le Zhejiang (44 millions d’habitants, avec 7 millions pour la région de Wenzhou dont plus d’un million d’habitants dans la ville elle-même).

~ par Alain Bertho sur 2 janvier 2011.

Publié dans émeutes, riots, 暴防