Chinese villagers in standoff with riot police call on government to intervene
guardian.co.uk
Wukan village residents have barricaded themselves in over a land dispute in which one person has died
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Chinese villagers who have barricaded themselves in from a ring of riot police have called on the government to intervene in a land dispute that has claimed at least one life and prompted several bloody skirmishes.
Residents of Wukan village in Guandong province have blocked the road with trees and cars, established a rota of tree-top lookouts and put in place a warning system in case the authorities try to break the standoff.
They are demanding an investigation into the death in custody of the village butcher and chief negotiator, Xue Jinbo, who had been detained on charges of inciting a riot. They also seek the release of four other jailed villagers and fair compensation for land that they say was seized illegally for development by the local authorities.
Thousands of villagers have taken to the streets in recent days to mourn the death of Xue and press for justice. The local Shanwei city government says Xue died of a heart attack, but his family say his body showed signs that he had been beaten to death.
“The officials call us several times a day and tell us to give up,” said a relative of the dead man. “But we want them to admit that it was not a heart attack. We call on the central government to come and investigate because we don’t trust the local officials.”
Compared with the violence and mass protests of the past week, he said the situation was quiet on Wednesday. Residents had electricity, water and internet access and could travel to and from the village on back roads and paths.
But, while the standoff continued, most people were afraid to leave. Read more…
China police block access to protest village
telegraph.co.uk
12 Dec 2011
A Chinese village hit by violent protests over land grabs in September has been under police blockade for days, with internet access cut and food supplies running low, residents said on Monday.
The villagers said a man who was detained for his alleged role in the September riots had been beaten to death – a claim Chinese authorities deny. They say the man, Xue Jinbo, fell ill in custody and died in hospital.
The protests in Wukan in the southern province of Guangdong were triggered by local anger over a government land requisition and saw hundreds of demonstrators attack a police station and ransack vehicles.
Residents accused authorities of forcibly grabbing their land and not compensating them, but the government insisted the process was lawful.
Land grabs have become a hugely contentious issue in China, where authorities are accused of colluding with developers in lucrative real estate deals that have become an important source of government revenue.
On Monday a local villager whose name AFP has withheld for his protection said the roads around Wukan had been blocked by police, who he said numbered in the thousands, and that the internet had been cut off.
“People can’t come in and we can’t go out … We won’t survive if the situation keeps going, as we have no food,” he told AFP by phone in an account confirmed by another resident.
“We normally have to buy food from outside, but we are blocked, so we can’t buy it,” he said. Read more…
More news
- Tension after village leader dies in custody
- Wukan village in China kept under siege by riot police
- Chinese police besiege town and cut of food supplies in bid to quell riots
- Chinese villagers protest at custody death
- China police block access to protest village
- Villager dies in custody as China cracks down on land protests
- Riot-Plagued Chinese Town Running Out of Food as Police Ban Access to Area
- Chinese protester accused of rioting dies in custody
- Chinese man accused of land protest dies in police custody, threatening to …
- China vows crackdown on leaders of village revolt while promising probe of …
- China vows crackdown on leaders of village revolt
- Village Revolts Over Inequities of Chinese Life
- China morning round-up: Promises on economic growth
- China protest in Guangdong’s Wukan ‘vanishes from web’
- Police put China village on lockdown amid unrest
- Top China Stories from WSJ: Village Revolt, Spending Pledges, Rising Wages
- Land Dispute in China Town Sparks Revolt
- China Blockades Village After Protests, Telegraph Reports
- Man dies in detention from heart problem
I ribelli di Wukan, il villaggio assediato dalla polizia
Scritto da: Marco Del Corona alle 17:34 del 14/12/2011
Se non fosse che si tratta di una cosa seria, maledettamente seria, quanto sta accadendo a Wukan nel Guangdong assomiglierebbe a una sceneggiatura di quelle familiari al pubblico cinese: un villaggio assediato, che sia in un medioevo condito di arti marziali o durante la guerra di liberazione dai giapponesi, che resiste. Invece a Wukan succede davvero, ed è un dramma.
MORTE SOSPETTA I disordini hanno avuto inizio la settimana scorsa. Proteste come decine di migliaia d’altre, in Cina: terre confiscate, gli abitanti e i contadini non indennizzati, i funzionari locali protervi e, spesso, corrotti. A Wukan le proteste hanno portato a incidenti sempre più violenti, fino alla fuga dei dirigenti del Partito comunista, compreso il segretario locale che – secondo le testimonianze raccolte da un giornalista che è riuscito a penetrare nel villaggio – ricopre la carica da trent’anni. All’insurrezione degli abitanti e ai tentativi di sfondamento della polizia ha fatto seguito l’offerta delle autorità locali di trattare con i ribelli. La soddisfazione per un gesto giudicato ragionevole è durata poco. Il capo dei mediatori, il macellaio del paese Xue Jinbo, però è stato arrestato ed è deceduto durante la detenzione. “Arresto cardiaco”, hanno deto le autorità della vicina Shanwei. “E’ stato picchiato a morte”, replicano parenti e conpaesani. Nuove proteste, dunque.
POLIZIA Ora il villaggio è circondato dai posti di blocco della polizia. Come in un’epica antica, gli abitanti vigilano 24 ore su 24, fanno la vedetta sugli alberi, avvertono gli altri quando vedono arrivare la polizia. Si centellina il cibo, che tuttavia per ora riesce a filtrare attraverso l’assedio lungo viottoli di campagna non ancora presidiati. All’interno di Wukan acqua corrente, elettricità e Internet non sono stati tagliati. Tuttavia le autorità hanno cominciato, secondo uno schema rodato, a forzare la compattezza degli assediati. Offrendo compensazioni ad alcuni che le accettano e cercano di convincere i conoscenti a cedere.
INCIDENTI DI MASSA Si tratta di uno dei 150-180 mila incidenti di massa che si stimano accadano in un anno in una Cina dove le tensioni sociali conoscono improvvise fiammate. I parenti di Xue chiedono la verità, pretendono che i responsabili della sua morte ammettano le loro colpe, che dicano come i segni sul cadavere siano le prove delle botte. Vogliono le loro terre. L’assedio di Wukan, intanto, prosegue. Nei film gli assediati spesso vincono. Stavolta non è un film, e alla vittoria non credono più in molti
http://leviedellasia.corriere.it/2011/12/i_ribelli_di_wukan_il_villaggi.html