At least a dozen protesting villagers were arrested in the southern coastal province of Guangdong in the second week of January, according to a news report in South China Morning Post on 13 January, 2002 and other Hongkong-based newspapers.
Thousands of residents took to the streets in Shishuikou village on 6 January to protest against corruption of village officials. Riot police with over 70 vehicles arrived at the scene and confronted the crowd, arresting a dozen and wounding several other people.
The protest took place on the day of village elections and villagers refused to cast their votes, accusing the officials with unfair distribution of land-lease profits and demanding the accounts to be revealed. According to Shishuikou residents, the village received more than seven million RMB yuan in a land sale last year but the villagers only received RMB 1,200 as an annual dividend. The elections were called off and postponed indefinitely.
Protests were also held in several other country villages. In Botang village angry villagers alleged that local officials reaped more than RMB 100 million yuan over the past decade in dubious land deals.
China introduced democratic elections at village level in 1987; however, peasants consider the elections window dressing, as usually voters have little option other than voting for the existing local leaders. Widespread grievances against corruption committed by local officials largely go unredressed. Village officials have greatly benefited from land sales in Guangdong, a province that have seen extensive urbanisation, but ordinary villagers gained little in the process.
(Source: South China Morning Post, 13/01/2002)
Thousands of residents took to the streets in Shishuikou village on 6 January to protest against corruption of village officials. Riot police with over 70 vehicles arrived at the scene and confronted the crowd, arresting a dozen and wounding several other people.
The protest took place on the day of village elections and villagers refused to cast their votes, accusing the officials with unfair distribution of land-lease profits and demanding the accounts to be revealed. According to Shishuikou residents, the village received more than seven million RMB yuan in a land sale last year but the villagers only received RMB 1,200 as an annual dividend. The elections were called off and postponed indefinitely.
Protests were also held in several other country villages. In Botang village angry villagers alleged that local officials reaped more than RMB 100 million yuan over the past decade in dubious land deals.
China introduced democratic elections at village level in 1987; however, peasants consider the elections window dressing, as usually voters have little option other than voting for the existing local leaders. Widespread grievances against corruption committed by local officials largely go unredressed. Village officials have greatly benefited from land sales in Guangdong, a province that have seen extensive urbanisation, but ordinary villagers gained little in the process.
(Source: South China Morning Post, 13/01/2002)