Mainland authorities are poised to launch a new crackdown on petitioners ahead of the Beijing Olympics, with the Ministry of Public Security urging police to stop them coming to the capital.
The ministry did not specify what methods it would use to stop people seeking redress reaching the capital, but Deputy Minister Yang Huanning said police should go the extra mile to head off potential trouble from complainants to ensure an amicable atmosphere for the Games.
The clampdown comes as authorities tighten the net on dissent on the mainland, giving top priority to security and stability ahead of the kick-off of the Olympic Games on August 8.
At a Ministry of Public Security briefing, Mr Yang admitted that social conflict was noticeably rising, making it more difficult to manage the claims and interests of different social groups.
Petitioners who go to Beijing seeking help against perceived injustices back home risk detention in doing so, but often feel they have no other choice.
At any one time, up to 10,000 people are crammed into slum houses in the so-called petitioners' village near the Supreme People's Court in southern Beijing, trying to get their cases heard.
