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DAM-L SCMP Anger at dam corruption growing (fwd)
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Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 10:32:49 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: SCMP Anger at dam corruption growing
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South China Morning Post, Friday, September 29, 2000
Anger at dam corruption growing
JASPER BECKER in Beijing
Organised resistance among peasants protesting
against corruption by government officials in charge
of the Three Gorges Dam resettlement project is
increasing and residents have repeatedly clashed with
police in recent months, peasant representatives say.
Their reports of growing tension and violence
contradict official statements that the first stages of
the scheme, which aims to resettle between 1.5
million and 1.9 million people by 2009, is proceeding
smoothly.
Last week, 300 peasants from Gaoyang township, in
Yunyang, attacked officials in charge of the county
resettlement bureau, injuring at least one. The
peasants accused the officials of embezzling funds set
aside for their resettlement at Tao Fu state farm,
Hubei province. Their original homes have already
been pulled down and they are homeless.
Three weeks ago about 1,000 peasants marched on
government headquarters in Kai county, Wanxian
district, demanding to meet government leaders. They
hurled missiles that injured some officials, including
the deputy party chief, who was hit with a brick, and
tried to cut telephone wires. Officials summoned
troops to quell the violence.
"To defend themselves, the peasants placed the old
and young in the front so the troops could do
nothing," one source said.
Officials in Kai county confirmed that the incident
happened but denied telephone lines were cut or that
the deputy party chief had been injured.
On February 22, more than 1,000 peasants staged a
march in Gaoyang township, where about 10,000
peasants are to be relocated. The police stopped the
marchers, who then staged a 24-hour sit-in and
demanded a meeting with county leaders.
In both cases, local officials refused to negotiate with
the peasants or their representatives. In many areas,
peasants have selected their own unofficial
representatives to negotiate the best compensation
deals possible. Many families have contributed
money to finance the independent pressure groups.
During the February protest, peasants demanded to
see official policy documents because they believed
they were being cheated by local authorities, who
they accuse of pilfering resettlement funds set aside
by Beijing.
Peasants have signed dozens of petitions, often with
their thumbprints, which have been delivered to the
State Council and the Three Gorges Corporation,
asking higher authorities to investigate corruption.
One petition signed last month by peasants in the
counties of Dazhou and Xiaozhou, in the Wanzhou
district, complained that their representatives had
been detained and threatened by local officials.
Another petition claimed that a peasant representative
had been knifed by local gangsters on the orders of a
local official.
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