Residents demand railway pass through their Sichuan county, not Deng's hometown

Thousands took to the streets in a county of Sichuan province yesterday to demand that a proposed regional rail link pass through their isolated area amid speculation that a different route that favours a neighbouring city has been chosen.

The residents of the southwestern county of Linshui gathered in the morning and marched about 3km. Photos posted by the protesters on social media also showed an apparently violent confrontations with a police tactical team.

The residents want to have a proposed railway linking Dazhou to Chongqing pass through their county in the centre of Sichuan. The county currently has no railway, waterway, or airport.

Rage built up last week after they found out that the authorities favour another plan - that the railway stretching more than 200km will instead pass through late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping's hometown Guangan , west of Linshui.

Some Linshui residents claimed to have written to the mayor of Guangan on the city's official website to ask whether he had any knowledge of the progress of the railway project. The mayor allegedly replied on May 7 that the railway would pass through his city, not Linshui.

The reply could no longer been found on the website, and Linshui residents said it was taken down by the local authority in fear of controversy.