China’s cyber police accuse foreign forces of stoking protests after Chengdu student’s death

Sichuan law enforcement authorities blame ‘hostile forces at home and abroad’ and say attempts at sparking a ‘colour revolution’ will not be tolerated

The Communist Party centenary in July has law enforcement officials on high alert for signs of popular dissent

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The plight of the mother of a 17-year-old student who died at a school in Chengdu last week, sparked outrage and inspired protesters who called on authorities to be more transparent. Photo: Handout

Published: 10:00am, 19 May 2021Updated: 10:00am, 19 May 2021

China’s cyber police have accused “foreign hostile forces” of stoking protests after the suspected suicide of a 17-year-old student in the country’s southwest, warning Chinese internet users to stay away from such “attempts at colour revolution”.

The stark warning came as Beijing’s top law enforcement officials ordered China’s security apparatus to stay alert for potential acts of terrorism, to combat gangs and organised crime and to stamp out any form of popular uprising, with less than 50 days until the Chinese Communist Party centenary.

In a statement late on Sunday, the cyber police department in Sichuan province accused “hostile forces at home and abroad” of interference in the aftermath of Lin Weiqi’s death at Chengdu No 49 Middle School last week.

The child’s mother raised doubts about the results of the initial investigation into the death, setting off a public opinion storm. Dozens of people gathered outside the school’s entrance demanding an explanation from police.

Without offering evidence, the province’s cyber police said “interference from hostile forces at home and abroad [were present this time], just like the Taifu incident”.

The reference was to a public outcry generated by a similar case in April 2017 in Sichuan’s Taifu township.