2006-12-10 17:38:22globalist

抗爭事件持續增加中國官方憂心

二千零四年中國抗爭事件有七千四百件,參與人口達三百八十萬人。而且此數字正持續增加中。

Protests and riots on the rise, Chinese state media says

Reuters
Friday, December 8, 2006
Protests and riots have become the most destabilizing factor in China and pose a challenge to the Communist Party’s ability to rule, the official Xinhua news agency said Friday.

Xinhua called for "prudent" use of force in handling "mass incidents" — an official euphemism for protests and riots — after the police shot and killed at least three demonstrators a year ago.

China has been grappling with outbreaks of unrest for several years, as three decades of market reforms have lifted living standards, but also widened the gaps between the rich and poor, the urban and rural.

Resentment over the loss of farmland, corruption, worsening pollution, arbitrary evictions by property developers and layoffs by state enterprises has galvanized Chinese to take sometimes drastic action.

"The huge number and broad scope of mass incidents has become the most outstanding problem that seriously impacts social stability," Xinhua said in a commentary.

"They reflect the various social conflicts and problems coming up at this crucial stage of our reforms," it added.

Xinhua said China was harmonious and stable in general, but dealing appropriately with mass incidents against the background of profound changes in social and economic structures was a "major test" for the leadership’s ability to rule.

The government admitted that three villagers had died after the police fired in Dongzhou, Guangdong Province, last December during a violent standoff.

"We should stick to the principle of deploying police, using weapons and resorting to forceful measures prudently," Xinhua said.

It said "improper use of force" could intensify conflicts and "resolute handling" should be in place when serious violence occurred.

It also gave an oblique warning to Chinese lawyers, human rights advocates and foreign journalists, who have been harassed, beaten or detained for following protests and riots.

Official figures show that the number of mass incidents in China rose to 74,000 in 2004 from about 10,000 in 1994, with the number of participants increasing from 730,000 to 3.8 million.