Chinese Police Fire on Protesters, Killing At Least Two
Chinese Police Fire on Protesters, Killing At Least Two
By Radio Free Asia
HONG KONG - At least two villagers in China's southern province of Guangdong have died after police fired on a crowd protesting the construction of a wind power plant, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports.
Witnesses told RFA's Mandarin service that by 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, villagers Jiang Hu and Jiang Guanji had died in the local hospital while a third, identified as Tang Daxiang, was receiving emergency treatment. Dongzhou Hospital authorities near the city of Shanwei confirmed two deaths and one wounded undergoing treatment, but they declined to give names.
"At least four villagers have died," another villager said at approximately 11:30 p.m. "There is a dead body on the street yet to be retrieved. Many are wounded by gunshots. I don't know what kind of guns. I just know they were using real bullets on us. No policemen were wounded."
"The hospital has become a virtual funeral hall with family members of the dead crying," one villager told reporter Ding Xiao.
"They were bleeding. One was hit in the head, one in the foot, and one in the torso. They have been rushed to Dongzhou Hospital. We have prepared detonators. We're ready to fight," another said.
Riot police sent
According to several eyewitness accounts, hundreds of riot police moved into the site of the wind power plant Monday after a long-simmering dispute over how much villagers should be paid for land slated to become a wind-power plant. Around midday Tuesday, three representatives from Dongzhou village went to the site to see what was happening. The three villagers were immediately detained, witnesses said.
Shortly after 5 p.m., thousands of villagers showed up at the site of the plant and demanded the release of the three representatives, they said. Police stationed inside the power plant fired tear gas at the crowd but caused no serious injuries. Later Tuesday, authorities dispatched several hundred more riot police to the site of the plant but they were stopped outside Dongzhou village by villagers.
"We are really scared. We need your help. The riot police are at the entrance of our village. There are several hundred of them, between 400 and 500," one villager said in an interview that was cut off several times.
No answer, no comment from officials
"They were firing shots. But they were afraid to move in. We had blocked the roads with water pipes, gasoline and detonators," another villager said. "And there were about 10,000 villagers there. We tried calling the central government several times for help. But all we got was answering machines."
Riot police have now crashed through roadblocks set up by villagers and dismantled their tents near the power plant. Villagers have retreated back to Dongzhou village, they said.
Li Min, deputy mayor of Shanwei and chief of public security, asked to comment by phone, said only, "I don't know" and hung up. Guangdong provincial public security offices and the Guangdong provincial government went unanswered.
A duty officer at the Dongzhou police station said, "I am not familiar with the situation." Asked to confirm that two villagers had died, he said, "There is no such thing," and hung up.
Local sources said construction began on a wind-power plant several months ago but halted amid a dispute over land compensation.
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and information to listeners in those East Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely news reports are unavailable. RFA adheres to the highest standards of journalism and strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. RFA is funded by an annual grant from the nonprofit Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).
