Thousands on strike to protest government land deal in Sansui County, Guizhou Province

Guizhou Province, the Miao and Dong ethnic minority autonomous prefecture of Sansui County: On September 28, 2014, the Guizhou Province Southwest Prefecture government passed a resolution that Zhenyuan, Cengong, and Sansui Counties would merge and form a market. After the merger the administrative center would move from Sansui to Qingxi Township. This would require commandeering a large amount of public land. They invited outside investment, and after the merger the administrative center moved away. Sansui people lost money and were very angry. A netizen said Sansui County Party Secretary bought 80 mu of land in Qingxi and used his authority to suppress Sansui people’s voting rights in the market in Qingxi Township.

On Tuesday, October 7 Sansui citizens demonstrated  and marched to the Sansui County government headquarters to protest. They demanded that the government place the administrative center in Sansui and that the government return all land requisitioned for the market and give all swindled enterprises an explanation.

On Friday, Oct. 14, Sansui County government postponed the establishment of the new market. But demonstrations continued.

On Saturday, October 11, 2014 the demonstration grew. Farmers, students, business owners, workers and taxi drivers went on strike. Tens of thousands marched to the county government headquarters and protested the Sansui county government’s dishonesty. The government dispatched police to guard government headquarters.

That afternoon, the protesters encircled Sansui middle school and demanded the school join the protest. That night, the government assembled more than 1000 police from the surrounding 16 counties to enter the county town and subdue the demonstrators. Two students were seriously injured and hospitalized and many were arrested. The face-off continued until the next morning. A netizen said that one student died but that’s impossible to verify.

According to reports, the Internet in Sansui is cut off to stop news of the protests  from circulating.
http://www.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2014/10/201410130000.shtml
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2014/10/201410130000.shtml