Arrests made over railway attacks

By Li Xinran  |   2008-11-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

FIVE people have been detained for attacking a group of villagers who were protesting about land requisition for the construction of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway in northern China.

Two principals from China Railway's 17th Bureau Group, which is building the rail line in Langfang City, were also disciplined and suspended, according to Beijing-based Caijing magazine.

The Land and Resources Authority in Langfang, Hebei Province, said the approval process for the Langfang section of the railway was not complete and construction would not resume until villagers were compensated, according to the report.

However, the 17th Bureau Group told China National Radio that they were allowed to resume construction. It said the local government told them the land issue had been solved, according to the magazine.

Hundreds of villagers had gathered alongside the railway for more than a week to protest about the land requisitions. They were attacked by hundreds of uniformed thugs on October 19. Several were sent to hospital with broken bones and head injuries.

Injured villagers said the China Railway 17th Group paid for their treatment and attackers were spotted wearing the railway company's uniform.

The men wore blue uniforms and attacked villagers with iron bars after being trucked to the scene, according to China National Radio.