Social Stability - 175. page

A Boxun (U.S.-based independent Chinese news website) reader posted pictures of  large Chinese character  slogans hung in various cities in mainland China. The slogans are being hung up as banners over the streets as part of a campaign to suppress petitions ahead of the Olympics. The slogans use wording such as “’Illegal ‘ Petitions Will Be Sentenced and Penalized;” “Firmly Crack Down on Criminal Activities Committed in the Name of Petitioning.” The author describes his anger at seeing a board saying “striking against illegal petitions” in front of a municipal government office.

Source: Boxun, July 14, 2008.
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/pubvp/2008/07/200807141034.shtml

On July 1, 2008, the 87th birthday of the Chinese Communist Party, Yang Jia, a 28 year old Beijing resident went to the Police Headquarters of Shanghai’s Zhabei District and killed six policemen and injured four with a knife.

According to stories posted on the Internet, Yang was tortured by the police last year over a bicycle theft charge. He was later found innocent and released. Later a doctor told him that his reproductive organ had been permanently injured by the police. After his attempt to seek compensation failed, he went on to the rampage. He was selective and targeted at middle aged men while sparing women and younger men. 

A majority of the Chinese Internet surfers cheered his action. They called him a hero who was seeking justice for the people. Some compared him to Rambo.

Source: China News Digest, July 7, 2008 
http://my.cnd.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=20022

Shen Guirong, the former chief of Wengan County Public Security Bureau, said in an interview after being demoted that his police forces were often pulled in to do non-police duties such as suppressing social unrest.  In the past several years, on five occasions Shen had to dispatch hundreds of police to suppress social unrest arising from public discontent over government abuses and corruption.

Shen was demoted on July 3 because of "serious dereliction of duty” during June 28 protests in which tens of thousands of local residents trashed and set fire to the buildings of the Party, the police, the courts and the secret police, over the death of a female middle school student.

Source: China Newsweek, July 9, 20008
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-07-09/040115896453.shtml

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua magazine Outlook Weekly, Tian Yixiang, chief of the Army Department of the Beijing Olympic Security Coordination Group, says that preventing terrorist attacks is the primary focus (of the security work). Tian says terrorist attacks are the main threat (to the Olympics) and names “East Turkestan,” “Tibetan Independence,” and Falun Gong groups as the sources of the threat.

Source: Outlook Weekly, Issue 27, 2008
http://lw.xinhuanet.com/htm/content_3492.htm

On July 3, 2008, the Communist Party Secretary of Weng’an County and the Political Commissar of the County Public Security Bureau, Guizhou Province, were removed from office because of “serious dereliction of duty” during a June 28 social unrest incident. Guizhou Provincial Party Secretary Shi announced the decision at a July 3 Provincial Party meeting.

On June 22, a female high school student died. On June 28, tens of thousand of local residents trashed and set fire to the buildings of the Party, the police, the courts and the secret police. Longstanding grievances over corruption spilled over into a clash when the girl’s family, believing she had been raped and murdered, accused the local authorities of a cover up.  Internet police have been removing Internet comments critical of the authorities.

Source: Xinhua, July 3, 2008
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-07/03/content_8485748.htm

On June 26, 2008, tens of thousands of residents waited in the rain to air grievances to Guangzhou Mayor and other high level officials during an open house at local government offices. It is helpless and saddening, said Guangming Daily. “It is not normal that matters that should have been resolved through official channels may be resolved only through interventions by higher-ups.” “Who should ultimately be shamed by this?” implying  that the authorities are responsible for such failure. Of the 84 comments posted at Chinanews.com, most expressed disappointments in government curruption and abuse of power.

Source: Guangming, June 28, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/06-28/1295767.shtml
http://comment.chinanews.com.cn/comments/comments.php?newsid=1295767&page=1

According to an article in the July issue of the Hong Kong based Trend Magazine, before the May 12 earthquake, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders received serious warnings from seismology experts. During a vote on whether to inform the people, eight members of the Standing Committee of the CCP’s Polibureau voted no. Premier Wen Jiabao was the only dissenting voice.

The CCP’s decision was made to insure the success of the Olympic Torch Relay. The source said on April 26 and 27, 2008, scientists in the Natural Disaster Prediction Committee under the China Geophysics Institute reached an agreement on the following warning: “From May 2008 to April 2009, there is a possibility of Magnitude 6 – 7 earthquake in Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai bordering areas.” Chinese seismologist Geng Qingguo was more specific, he predicted that a Magnitude 7 or stronger earthquake may happen around May 8, plus or minus 10 days at Sichuan Province’s Aba Region.

On April 30, 2008, a document containing the predictions was secretly sent to the China Earthquake Administration. But it failed to convince China’s top leaders to take action.

Source: Boxun.com, July 3, 2008
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/07/200807030438.shtml

China News posted an article from the Guangming Daily reporting that tens of thousands of residents went to appeal in the rain when the Guangzhou municipal government held a city-wide public “Petition Day” on June 26, 2008. It was reported that such a large public reception of petitioning residents has never occurred in the whole country before. The problems with regards to which residents appealed were mostly related to housing, social security, and environmental protection. The article commented that the public reception is nevertheless more of a show (by the local government leaders) rather than a practical avenue for solving residents’problems.

Source: China News Agency, June 28, 2008
http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/06-28/1295767.shtml