Social Stability - 171. page

On September 22, a few hundred officers dispatched by City of Guilin (Guangxi Province) Police Department and City Management Administration together with jobless residents hired by the Guilin City Zhang Tai Land Development Corporation went into Chuan Shan Village in Qi Xing District and used force to build a fence so they could seize a piece land. The entire village fought back. According to the villagers, their land was sold to Zhang Tai without their knowledge and their dispute for compensation has not been settled. Dozens of villagers were injured during the fight and two villagers were hospitalized.

On September 23 and 24, police officers blocked the entrance to the village and started to arrest villagers. One villager who fled to another village disclosed that over a dozen villagers have been arrested so far. Only those who signed the agreement to accept land compensation from the city can be released.

The article also shows photos of injured villagers and a video of the events.

Source: Boxun, September 27, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/09/200809272337.shtml

The Ministry of Health estimated that as of September 21, a total of 12,892 infants were hospitalized. 104 of them are in serious condition. Another 39,965 visited clinics. Of all infants receiving treatment, 81.87% are 2 years old or younger%. 17.33% are those between 2 and 3 years old. Those above 3 account for 0.8%. As of September 15, 2008, about 10,000 infants who had been fed contaminated Sanlu powdered milk were examined. 1,253 have been diagnosed with kidney illness. 2 of them have died. 913 were treated as outpatients. 340 remained in the hospital. As the number of victims sharply increases, sources in Hong Kong media indicated that they received instructions from Communist Party Propaganda Department not to report on the incident.

Source:
Xinhua, September 21, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-09/21/content_10088082.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-09/15/content_10010189.htm
Apple Daily, September 24, 2008 http://www1.appledaily.atnext.com/template/apple/art_main.cfm?iss_id=20080924&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=15336&art_id=11638976

In an open job fair to select the deputy county mayor and public deputy commune director in charge of science and technology in Zhenzhou city of Henan Province, Shan Men Xia Municipality planned to hire a Ph.D. graduate specializing in administration of industrial economy as its deputy county mayor. The advertisement attracted 65 Ph.D. applicants to compete for the position. Such results were beyong expectations. In explaining the phenomenon, one author had commented: “For an ordinary person starting at a lower level, reaching such a position would take years of hard work. Whereas someone with a Ph.D. who jumps to the position, not only realizes the dream of ‘being a government officer,’ but also the dream of ‘making money.’ It is really a good deal.”

Source: Xinhua, September 21, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/comments/2008-09/21/content_10085859.htm

A number of photos taken from the headquarters of the Sanlu Group in Shijiazhuang (Hebei Province) were found on quite a few Chinese BBS sites, though some have since been taken down.  The photos showed that the factory was crowded with people, mostly waiting in line to return baby formula. Some photos show banners hanging on the factory buildings with messages such as: "Produce High Quality Dairy Products, Make a Contribution to the Society"; "Focus on Product Quality, Promote a Harmonious Society"; "Quality is under our control, Customers are in our heart"; "Care about Product Safety, Ensure Public Well-being". One photo shows a urine test result of a 6 months old baby boy displaying “positive” test result.

Source:
Various BBS sites from China, September 18, 2008
http://bbs.cztv.tv/Html/2008/9/18/21034857072.html
http://forum.datuu.com/viewthread.php?action=printable&tid=58278
http://www.xici.net/b651692/d77449197.htm

A group of photos show a standoff at the front entrance of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. A fight broke out between officers from Chendu City Management Administration office and students and faculty from Sichuan Conservatory of Music at 6pm on September 18.

It started out when a staff member from the school attempted to stop the officers of the city administration from violently exercising their duty in an office supply store next to the school. As more and more students joined the standoff, the city management administration officers had to retreat into their vehicle which was almost turned over by the angry crowed. Students shouted slogans at those officers. Initially there were only four policemen at the scene. An eyewitness said that at one point in time a police officer had to fire a gun shot to take control. Finally, after more police officers arrived, they helped the city administrative officers leave the scene.

Source: Boxun, September 18, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/09/200809190407.shtml

22 Companies have produced melamine milk powder, the People’s Daily reported.  China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, tested 491 batches of products from 109 companies after the deaths of infants who had taken Sanlu milk powder.  69 Batches from 22 companies were found contaminated by melamine to varying degrees.

Source: People’s Daily, September 17, 2008
http://society.people.com.cn/GB/41158/8053691.html

Two more arrests were made according to Hebei authorities’ press conference on September 16, 2008 in connection with the melamine-tainted milk powder recall. As of September 16, 4 people were arrested and another 22 were in police custody. As of September 15, 2008, about 10,000 infants who had been fed contaminated Sanlu powdered milk were examined. 1,253 have been diagnosed with kidney illness. 2 of them have died. 913 are being treated as outpatients. 340 remain in the hospital. "…The number could rise sharply in coming days as more parents take their children for medical check-ups," Xinhua reported, citing Health Minister Chen Zhu.

Source: Xinhua, September 15 and 16, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-09/16/content_10040178.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-09/15/content_10010189.htm

The social unrest in Weng’an is not an isolated incident, said Study Times, the publication of the Party School of the Chinese Communist Party.  The article cited official statistics on the increase of social unrests, 8,700 in 1993, 87,000 in 2003 and over 90,000 in 2006.  “The upward trend of numbers continues.”  The article held that the Weng’an incident is representative of major social unrest in recent years in terms of the number of participants, duration, intensity of conflicts, and their ramifications.”  

On June 28, over ten thousand local residents gathered in front of government buildings in Weng’an County, Guizhou Province, over the investigation of the death of a female high school student.  Angry crowds torched the police station, county government building, and Civil Affairs Bureau building. 1500 anti-riot police arrived on Sunday morning and used tear gas and high voltage batons at the scene. It was reported that at least three people died, 200 people were arrested including 30 middle school students, and 150 injured.

Source: Xinhua, September 8, 2008
http://news/xinhuanet.com/legal/2008-09/08/content_9847136.htm