Hunan towns hit by wave of peasant protests

RURAL towns in Hunan province are being rocked by a wave of peasant protests which often end in violence.

In one of the most serious reported incidents, several people were said to have died when police opened fire in Qiyang in southwest Hunan.

About 10,000 people had gathered outside the Qiyang party headquarters, according to Tang Boqiao, a Hunanese democracy activist now based in America, who believes three or four people were killed in the incident last August.

Officials contacted in Qiyang denied there had been any deaths but admitted there had been three mass petitions last year by peasants protesting against forced local taxes.

An official at the city's petition office said 230 peasants were involved and they came from Wenfushi and Dazhongqiao towns.

He said peasants were angry cadres had taken away their property in lieu of taxes and they believed public money had been embezzled.

Mr Tang said that 10,000 peasants also staged protests in the city of Luodi in western Hunan last July and subsequently there were equally large demonstrations in Xingxi, Xupu, Daolin, Yizhang and Ningxiang.