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| Mongols fight back against communist Chinese tyranny (Politics) |
| | Poster: Revolution | Posting Date: 2005-07-27 | |
Thursday, July 28, 2005 REUTERS in Beijing Two thousands farmers have clashed with hundreds of police in a land dispute in Inner Mongolia that has left dozens injured. A government official called the fighting "anarchy". The clash - a week ago in the village of Qianjin, part of Tongliao city, 725km northeast of Beijing - was the latest in a string of violent rural protests across the mainland. "We were caught by surprise. Police punched and kicked villagers even as they lay on the ground," one farmer said. "We're ready to risk everything," the farmer added. "If one government official comes, we'll take on one. If several come, we'll fight it out with several." Some police had carried firearms but did not open fire, a second farmer said. The incident lasted about six hours, he said, adding that police were eventually outnumbered and fled after villagers rushed to aid those who had been beaten. Dozens of injured villagers were taken to nearby hospitals, the farmers said. Hundreds of farmers had seized bulldozers and other construction equipment intended for use in building a road across their land, which had been requisitioned by the government, the second farmer said. Police reached by telephone declined to comment. But Han Guowu chief of the Keerqin district, in which Qianjin is located - insisted officers had not assaulted villagers. "Police were under orders not to retaliate when hit or verbally abused, and restrained themselves," Mr Han said. He said villagers pelted police with chunks of hard clay, breaking the nose of one officer, smashing the window of a police car and breaking a video camera. The farmers had refused to turn over their farmland and had blocked construction of the highway for two months, the district chief said. "The entire village is in a state of anarchy," he added. Mr Han dismissed accusations by farmers that the government hired thugs to break into villagers' homes in the middle of the night and assault them. He also denied allegations of corruption. "Please trust the party and the government," he said. Last week, farmers in the northern province of Hebei won a battle over land rights after months of protests culminated in a violent clash, one of the bloodiest in a wave of rural riots. About 300 thugs armed with rifles, clubs and sharpened pipes descended on Shengyou village in Hebei and clashed with the farmers, who were staging a sit-in to demand better compensation for land requisitioned for a new lime plant. Six villagers were killed and scores injured. Police arrested 31 people and detained 131. Those arrested included the Communist Party chief of nearby Dingzhou , who was sacked after a newspaper reported the riot.
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