Police Fire on Protesting Farmers in Yunnan

In the wake of Tibetan unrest, farmers from the Miao (or Hmong) ethnic minority group clashed with riot police over land they claim was illegally seized by a mining company leaving two dead, according to China Worker International.

The protesters were trying to block construction of a tungsten mine by China’s second largest gold mining company, Zijin, on land forcibly seized from villagers without agreed levels of compensation. Such illegal land grabs are the most common cause of rural unrest in China today. According to the Ministry of Land and Resources in Beijing there were 31,700 cases of illegal land seizures in the four-month period to 15 January, totaling 554,000 acres, and this despite a central government ’crackdown’ on the practise.

These protests reflect a rise in social upheavals throughout China.

These events – mass protests across several provinces – tell us a lot about the real situation in China three months before the Olympics. The Beijing regime is terrified of a growing revolt from below, from minorities like the Tibetans, Li, Miao and Uyghur Muslims, from landless farmers, and especially from the industrial working class.

CDT EBOOKS

Subscribe to CDT

SUPPORT CDT

Browsers Unbounded by Lantern

Now, you can combat internet censorship in a new way: by toggling the switch below while browsing China Digital Times, you can provide a secure "bridge" for people who want to freely access information. This open-source project is powered by Lantern, know more about this project.

Google Ads 1

Giving Assistant

Google Ads 2

Anti-censorship Tools

Life Without Walls

Click on the image to download Firefly for circumvention

Open popup
X

Welcome back!

CDT is a non-profit media site, and we need your support. Your contribution will help us provide more translations, breaking news, and other content you love.