A township in Zhongshan city in Guangdong was sealed off by police yesterday as tensions remained high following a riot on Monday night that was believed to have been caused by disputes between locals and migrant workers.
About 30 people were said to have been injured and at least two public security vehicles vandalised in a clash with police in Zhongshan's Shaxi township, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said.
The exact cause of the riot was unclear, but a statement issued yesterday by the Zhongshan city government said security personnel at Longshan village, under the jurisdiction of Shaxi, restrained a 13-year-old boy from Chongqing by tying him up after he beat up a local primary school pupil in the town.
The statement also said the teenager suffered injuries to his face while being restrained. The government did not comment on the reason for the fight, but an online discussion board on tianya.cn/bbs, a popular web portal, said the teenager was extorting money from the primary school pupil, who was picking mangoes. The discussion board was later deleted.
Shaxi police told the South China Morning Post yesterday afternoon that the town remained locked down, as their men were still trying to control the situation.
'We are trying our best, but at this stage we really don't know when the roads will be reopened,' said one police officer who declined to be named.
Shaxi is a Pearl River Delta town known for its manufacture of casual wear.