BEIJING:
China saw one of the bloodiest clashes over land dispute that left
eight people dead and 12 injured in a suburb of the southwestern city of
Kunming on Tuesday. Reports from the Jinning suburb said armed men in
black uniforms attacked villagers some people to evict them from their
lands.
Chinese official media said the clashes involved
over 3,000 people, which included 1,000 odd attackers and 2,000 local
residents angry after two of them were killed. Postings on Chinese
social media sites indicate people in a villagers captured and burnt
alive some of the attackers. Chinese social media site, Weibo, carried
pictures showing burnt bodies of several men in blue uniforms with their
hands and legs bound. The photos showed some were carrying shields with
the word "police" on them. A portable tear gas launcher was also
visible. But the authenticity of the pictures could not be independently
verified.The county government said issued a statement saying it was a
clash between construction workers and residents, but The conflict broke
out in Fuyou village, where a trading and logistics centre is being
built, it said. The dead included six workers and two villagers.
But villagers said it was conducted by hired thugs sent by a land
developer trying to evict them of their lands. The attackers came in
black uniform bearing shields bearing police symbols. They also used
knives, steel pipes and tear gas.
One report cited a resident
surnamed Gao, who said over 2,000 local residents bandied together to
capture and kill some of the attackers after two of the villagers lost
their lives. Another report said villagers fought back by settling a
supply of gas on fire but did not explain how it worked.
The
Jinning county government said the police reached the village
immediately after receiving reports about the violence and helped the
injured
.
