Text of report by Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on 25 August

["2,000 City Residents Demonstrate in Front of Kunming City Government Building; Man Arrested for Unfurling Banner at Beijing's Tiananmen"]

Our centre has learned that 2,000 city residents yesterday [ 24 August] gathered in front of the Kunming City Government building to protest after Yunnan Province recently closed down the "Yunnan Jinzuo Agricultural Science and Technology Company Limited," which was accused of "illegally raising funds." Meanwhile, at 10 o'clock yesterday morning a man unfurled a banner at Tiananmen to demonstrate but was quickly arrested and taken away by Armed Police officers.

Our centre has learned that the Yunnan authorities recently closed down "Yunnan Jinzuo" and arrested nine people including its chairman Bao Chonghua. The authorities accused "Yunnan Jinzuo" of illegally raising up to 100 million yuan of funds. However, members of the public from whom "Jinzuo" raised the funds were disgruntled at the closing down of "Jinzuo" and thought its raising of funds for barren hill afforestation contracting was conducive to not only environmental protection but also employment. The city residents started gathering in front of the Kunming City Government building at eight o'clock yesterday morning and more than 2,000 had gathered there by something after 2.00 p.m. Some city residents were holding up a banner that read: "Chairman Bao serves the people; Jinzuo is innocent. Return Chairman Bao to us; return Jinzuo to us." A large number of public security officers were placed on the alert at yesterday's demonstration but no bloody clashes took place and the demonstrators peacefully dispersed at 5.00 p.m. Bao Chonghua founded "Yunnan Jinzuo" in 2005 to contract for barren hill afforestation but still was nominated by the Central Television as a candidate for the 2008 election of "Agricultural, Peasant, and Rural Personalities."

At 10 o'clock yesterday morning a man suddenly unfurled a banner at the Tiananmen Square in an attempt to demonstrate but was immediately pressed down on the ground by Armed Police officers and pushed onto a vehicle. It is unknown why he wanted to demonstrate and where he came from.

At present the atmosphere is increasingly tense in Beijing. The authorities have not only called out 7,000 troops and police for round-the-clock patrolling but also mobilized 800,000 local residents, consisting mainly of retired party members, to keep a watch on suspicious people at all places. Cases of "false bomb report" are sharply increasing in Beijing at the moment, with more and more of those dissatisfied with the government calling 110 to report alleged "bombs." Because someone reported that there was a "bomb" in the Military Museum station on the No 1 subway line, yesterday up to 1,000 passengers had to be evacuated, the subway service was interrupted for 10 minutes, and a large number of specialists brought military dogs to the scene. At four o'clock yesterday afternoon the 110 centre received a report from a man saying there was a bomb at that place that would go off in 10 minutes. However, no explosives were detected yesterday.

During last year's Olympic Games, police across the country received more than 5,000 phone calls reporting alleged bombs and the great majority of them were "false bomb reports."

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 25 Aug 09