Further clashes have taken place in the southern Chinese village of Dongzhou, where armed police opened fire on protesters in December 2005, killing at least three people, reports RFA’s Cantonese service.
Dozens of villagers were camped out in a power station under construction there were removed by a gang of heavies hired by the local government, according to local residents.
Three villagers were injured in the clashes that ensued on Jan. 7.
“On Jan. 7 a lot of workers came to start work,” Dongzhou resident Ms. Zhang told RFA. “When the villagers tried to stop them they were beaten up.” She said a gang of thugs which villagers suspected were hired by the power company stepped in as soon as the villagers tried to block construction.
An officer who answered the phone at the local police declined to comment. “I don’t know about this,” he said. A member of staff at the power generation company building the plant said the same.
Guangxi-based civil rights activist and legal advocate Yang Zaixin said it was becoming increasingly common for local governments to employ mafia tactics against ordinary citizens who tried to stand up for their rights.
Photo credit: The Epoch Times
Filed under: China | Tagged: china_civil_rights, East Asia, Newsdesk |
Leave a Reply