Guizhou government blames 'public grudges' for riot

By Lydia Chen  |   2008-7-3  |     ONLINE EDITION

PUBLIC grudges over failures to solve major social conflicts was one of the reasons behind the weekend violence in Guizhou that at its peak involved up to 30,000 people and the torching of government buildings, the province has acknowledged.

Resentment grew among some people after appeals to address their legitimate rights were dismissed or neglected by local authorities. These disputes involved issues such as mass relocations, coal mine ownership and reforms of state-owned firms, the Guizhou government said in a statement that was reached at a meeting yesterday, Guizhou Daily reported today.

The meeting was chaired by Wang Fuyu, deputy Party secretary of Guizhou, and vice provincial governor Huang Kangsheng, the report said.

Wang and Huang are the top supervisors of a work team handling the Saturday riot.

Up to 30,000 people were involved in the protest, which was prompted by a police report into the death of 17-year-old Li Shufen. Police concluded she had drowned, but her family and relatives say she was raped and murdered.

The protest turned violent and rioters mobbed Weng'an County government office buildings on Saturday. More than 150 police and protesters were injured. About 160 offices and more than 40 vehicles were burned.

Weng'an's bad social security conditions caused a sense of insecurity and instability among the public, which was another key reason for the riot, the report said, citing the provincial government's statement.

Robberies, looting, theft and street fights are common in Weng'an, where about 600 to 800 criminal cases occur every year, the statement said, adding that only half of the cases can be solved.

Police in Guizhou yesterday announced a four-month crackdown on gangs accused of "exacerbating violence" and "providing gasoline, machetes, clubs and fireworks" to people with ill intentions.