Social Stability - 174. page

As the Olympics is approaching, Beijing authorities has set up schemes that trap those who come to appeal in Beijing, reported Ming Pao on July 24, 2008 of the story from a reader, Mr. Fan Dingxian. 

Fan, a 68 year old retiree from Chongqing, Sichuan, waited for 4 hours before he was interviewed by a staff at the State Petition Bureau in Beijing. He complained about insufficient pension. He was then escorted into an enclosed area in the back of the government building, where armed police surrounded four to five hundreds of people like Fan. An officer announced that all must be on board the government chartered buses heading out of Beijing. Fan refused to go on board and was beaten black and blue.  In the end police carried him on board the bus. It was only after he attempted suicide that he was finally released outside Beijing.

Source: Ming Pao, July 24, 2008
http://www.mingpaosf.com/htm/News/20080724/st1a.htm

On July 23, Beijing Olympic Organization Committee announced that Beijing will designate three parks for free expression and demonstration. But demonstrators have to get government permission.

World Park in Fengtai District, Zizhuyuan Park in Haidian District and Ritan Park in Chaoyang District are selected to showcase China’s freedom.

Citizens are skepitcal of the government intention. Some said after the real dissidents were locked up, the demonstrators are probably arranged actors to boost China’s human right record.

Source: English Epoch Times, July 24, 2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/7/24/n2203117.htm

On July 13, a man jumped off from Tiananmen Building and injured himself. Per eye witness, it happened at 4 p.m.. The man was later sent to a hospital for treatment and police investigation.

On June 28, Mr. Zhang from Changying Town, A suburb of Beijing’s Chaoyang District, set himself on fire in Tiananmen Square. The police put off the fire and arrested him. He was said to have suffered 3rd degree burn. Per source close to the case, Mr. Zhang and his family are under house arrest for security of Olympics.

Both cases are linked to injustice in forced land/housing seizure by the government.

Source: Boxun, July 24, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/07/200807241033.shtml

Chinese authorities have issued an order to impose “Internet shut down policy” on any websites that are deemed to have “information security violations” from July 25 to August 25. Subsequently, Internet hosting companies issued notices to their clients notifying them of the tightened measures. Some even gave monetary reward to those sites who chose to temporarily shutdown during Beijing Olympic.

Source: Radio Free Asia, July 23, 2008 http://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/fengwang-07232008131744.html

Zhen Enchong, Shanghai prominent Rights lawyer’s house was searched by five Public Security Bureau personnel from Zhabei district at 1:10pm on July 23. The bureau personnel presented the search warrant but the reason of the search was unknown. Zhen recently returned from a seven-hour-detention on July 20.

Source: The Epoch Times, July 23,2008
http://news.epochtimes.com/gb/8/7/23/n2201589.htm

Per Hebei Province Traffic Police, starting July 20, all 26 Highway check points surrounding Beijing will check all passengers’ ID. Every passenger is required to scan his/her ID card on a card reader. Even if one passenger fails to show a valid ID, everyone on the vehicle, including car, truck and bus, will be denied passage.

Source: Xinjing Bao (New Beijing News), July 11, 2008
http://military.people.com.cn/GB/8221/72028/76059/78907/7542217.html

A series photos posted on Boxun showed that there are two types of security guards on Beijing streets: neighborhood security personnel and militia. Neighborhood personnel range from barbers, seniors, rest room maintenance people, workers who deliver gas tanks or guard bicycle parking lot. They make 10 yuan on a four-hour work shift. Militia consists of workers from various factories or companies who are on an eight-hour shift making 50 yuan a day.

Xinhua reported that in addition to 150,000 professional security personnel, there are 290,000 of volunteer security guards patrolling Beijing street during the Olympics – the so called “Chinese style Mass Security Strategy”.

Source:
Boxun, July 22, 2008
http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2008/07/200807221049.shtml
Xinhua, July 22, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2008-07/22/content_8745179.htm

A picture taken at Beijing’s street was posted and widely circulated on the Internet with a big banner saying “Reduce Going Out to Leave A Smooth Open Road for Foreign Friends.” Google search with Chinese slogan returned over 800 items, many with numerous Internet users’ postings. For example, in Tianya (one of the most popular Internet forum in China), a user from Beijing posted his experience and feeling of the inconvenience brought to him due to the heightened level of security check and various regulations in the preparation of Olympics. In the last sentence, the user sarcastically says, “…We should be civilized and obedient host, like the slogan ‘Reduce Going Out …’ on the street.”

Source: BBC, July 16, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/simp/hi/newsid_7510000/newsid_7510100/7510144.stm http://cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/free/1/1377188.shtml