Text of report by Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on 15 May

[Report by Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights & Democracy: "Mass Protests Occur in Henan, Shandong, Tianjin 14 May"]

Our centre has learned that yesterday morning 2000 retired servicemen braved heavy rain to demonstrate outside the municipal government of the city of Luoyang in Henan Province. Meanwhile, a thousand migrant workers demonstrated and blocked traffic on Yingkou Road near Jinwan Square in Tianjin over unpaid wages. In Tengzhou in Shandong Province, a thousand taxi drivers and their family members demonstrated and attacked a municipal government building, in the course of which 20 people were injured by public security personnel and 50 people were arrested. These events have been confirmed to us by the departments concerned.

Our centre has learned that about 2000 retired PLA officers and servicemen from the city of Luoyang and its various counties began demonstrating outside the municipal government at 0900 yesterday. These retired officers and servicemen demanded that a series of issues concerning their work and livelihood be resolved. Even after it began raining heavily, the veterans continued to demonstrate and demanded that the secretary of the municipal CPC committee meet with them. The demonstration lasted about four hours. The municipal government of Luoyang has confirmed to us the authenticity of the report and disclosed that thousands descended on the municipal government yesterday demanding to meet with government officials to air their grievances.

Yesterday afternoon, as many as 1000 migrant workers from the Jinwan Square project in Tianjin blocked traffic near Jiefang Bridge over unpaid wages. Jiefang Bridge, Yingkou Road, and Jiefang Road North were made impassable. A large group of anti-riot police stood guard but there was no bloodshed. This incident has been confirmed to us by the Yingkou Road traffic police squad and the Jiefang Bridge police substation.

Also yesterday, a serious incident involving bloodshed erupted outside the municipal government of Tengzhou in Shandong Province. Unhappy with the government's decision this month to recall their licenses and offer them to another company, more than a thousand taxi drivers and their family members attacked the municipal government building, resulting in bloody clashes with as many as 100 anti-riot public security personnel. Twenty demonstrators were injured and 50 people were arrested. The Administrative Management Bureau and the Traffic Bureau of the Tengzhou municipal government confirmed the incident to us. At stake in the recall of the taxi licenses is the livelihood of 5000 taxi drivers in five districts and one city under Zaozhuang. (Tengzhou is part of Zaozhuang.) Therefore mass demonstrations are expected in Zaozhuang in the near future.

15 May 2009

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 15 May 09