Chinese military veterans’ rally for better welfare ends as armed police move in

Several campaigners need hospital treatment after five-day protest comes to violent close, sources say

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A five-day protest by thousands of retired military personnel was brought to an end on Sunday by armed police, witnesses said. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:00pm, 24 Jun 2018Updated: 10:14am, 25 Jun 2018

A five-day protest in eastern China by thousands of military veterans demanding better welfare rights and an end to violence against them was brought to a close on Sunday after armed police were sent in to disperse the crowd.

The mass gathering in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, was held following a number of violent attacks on campaigning veterans in other parts of the country.

Several people who took part in the protest told the South China Morning Post that it ended when the Jiangsu government sent in hundreds of armed police. Officials from other provinces and cities also arrived in Zhenjiang to “convince” people to go home, they said.

China’s 57 million ex-military personnel have been fighting for years for a better deal in retirement. After several large-scale protests last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to tackle the issue, and in April, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs opened for business in Beijing.

A former military man from southern China’s Guizhou province said he was upset at how the latest protest had ended.

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