Text of report by Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on 27 July
[Hong Kong Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy report: "Two Thousand People Protesting River Pollution in Shucheng County Anhui Clash With Public Security Police, 100 Injured"]
Urgent! [as published, in English]
(0935 hours, 27 Jul 2010) - -This Centre has learned that major and bloody clashes have erupted in Shucheng County, Anhui, when 2,000 people protesting pollution of a river clashed with hundreds of Public Security personnel. One hundred people have been injured between 24 July and today at the government building and other locations, as 2,000 members of the public protested pollution caused by the construction upstream of a large garbage processing plant. As of early this morning, authorities have brought in to Shucheng as many as a thousand Armed Police and Public Security riot control personnel from other locations. A netizen photographed several hundred Public Security personnel attacking and beating a crowd of demonstrators. As many as a hundred members of the public have been injured so far. Two people were taken to a hospital in critical condition.
This Centre has learned that the county government is redeveloping the former ordnance industry 608 Factory on the upper reaches of the Nangang River in that county, to set up a large garbage processing plant. This will seriously pollute the drinking water of tens of thousands of villagers within the jurisdiction of Nangang and other towns. On 24 July, several hundred members of the public blocked National Route 206 to protest. As a result, they were beaten by hundreds of riot control police personnel, during which one elderly person and one woman were seriously injured. Because a rumour spread that the seriously injured people had died, on 25 and 26 July more than 2,000 villagers and other residents of Shucheng County went to the government building to demonstrate. Yesterday and the day before, the authorities urgently brought in Armed Police, special police, and Public Security personnel to Shucheng County from places including Liuan. The numbers of riot control Public Security and Armed Police personnel have now reached as many as a thousand. Three major and bloody clashes between crowds of demonstrators and Public Security personnel occurred on 25 and 26 July. The crowd carried many long banners, including one berating county governor Zhao Qiang as being a fascist, and Public Security personnel would sometimes clash with villagers when grabbing the banners. Six journalists from three media organizations including Anhui Television had their photographic equipment seized, and two people from Anhui TV were injured. This morning a large number of residents are still gathered in front of county government headquarters, and several hundred Public Security personnel are on guard. From 24 July to today, as many as a hundred members of the public have been injured in the demonstrations, and two people have been taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 27 Jul 10