Chinese farmers riot * Benjamin Kang Lim

BEIJING – About 2 000 disgruntled farmers have clashed with hundreds of policemen in China’s northern region of Inner Mongolia in a land dispute that injured dozens in fighting one government official described as “anarchy”.

The July 21 clash in Qianjin village, a part of Tongliao city about 725 km north-east of Beijing, was one of a growing number of protests across China, most of which go unreported in the tightly controlled state media. “We were caught by surprise.Police punched and kicked villagers even as they lay on the ground,” one farmer said requesting anonymity.”We’re ready to risk everything.If one government official comes, we’ll take on one.If several come, we’ll fight it out with several,” the farmer told Reuters.Some policemen were armed with guns, but did not open fire, another farmer said.The incident lasted about six hours, the second farmer said, adding that police were eventually outnumbered and fled after other villagers rushed to the rescue of those beaten up.Dozens of injured villagers were taken to nearby hospitals, the farmers said.Farmers seized bulldozers and other construction equipment intended for use in building a highway across the farmers’ land, which had been reclaimed by the government, the second said.Police reached by telephone declined to comment.But Han Guowu, chief of Ke’erqin district in which Qianjin is located, insisted that police did not assault villagers.”Police were under orders not to retaliate when hit or verbally abused and restrained themselves,” Han said in a telephone interview.He played down the clash, saying villagers pelted police with chunks of hard clay, breaking the nose of one officer, smashing the window of a police car and breaking a video camera.The farmers had refused to turn over their farmland and have blocked construction of the highway for two months, he said.- Nampa-Reuters”We were caught by surprise.Police punched and kicked villagers even as they lay on the ground,” one farmer said requesting anonymity.”We’re ready to risk everything.If one government official comes, we’ll take on one.If several come, we’ll fight it out with several,” the farmer told Reuters.Some policemen were armed with guns, but did not open fire, another farmer said.The incident lasted about six hours, the second farmer said, adding that police were eventually outnumbered and fled after other villagers rushed to the rescue of those beaten up.Dozens of injured villagers were taken to nearby hospitals, the farmers said.Farmers seized bulldozers and other construction equipment intended for use in building a highway across the farmers’ land, which had been reclaimed by the government, the second said.Police reached by telephone declined to comment.But Han Guowu, chief of Ke’erqin district in which Qianjin is located, insisted that police did not assault villagers.”Police were under orders not to retaliate when hit or verbally abused and restrained themselves,” Han said in a telephone interview.He played down the clash, saying villagers pelted police with chunks of hard clay, breaking the nose of one officer, smashing the window of a police car and breaking a video camera.The farmers had refused to turn over their farmland and have blocked construction of the highway for two months, he said.- Nampa-Reuters