Beijing: A local official says order has been restored to a southwestern Chinese town after thousands took to the streets and clashed with police to protest rough handling of citizens by authorities.
Residents in Qianxi county in Guizhou province protested after a man who had parked a car illegally clashed with "chengguan”, or urban management corps.
A county Communist Party official who would give only his surname, Wu, says that at the protest's peak, more than 1,000 people had gathered, but that they had all dispersed by early Friday. He said on Saturday that more than a dozen police cars were smashed or set on fire, but he had no further details.
Chengguan act like a police auxiliary unit, but are notorious for corruption and violence against small businesses and the poor.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, August 13, 2011, 11:52