ZCZC
BFF-20
CHINA-RIGHTS
China to arrest 19 over military veteran protests: state media
BEIJING, Jan 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Chinese authorities on Friday ordered the
arrest of 19 people for allegedly organising protests by military veterans in
two cities last year, state media reported.
The 19 people are accused of “gathering crowds to disturb social order” in
the eastern cities of Pingdu in October or Zhenjiang in June of last year and
“intentional assault”, official news agency Xinhua reported, citing
prosecutors.
The Zhenjiang rally was organised to protest the alleged beating of elderly
ex-soldiers demanding better pensions, witnesses told AFP at the time.
The demonstrations highlighted the years-long struggle among former
soldiers of the world’s biggest standing army to get better benefits, posing
a headache for the country’s Communist leadership.
Authorities in China have little tolerance for public dissent but the
People’s Liberation Army and its veterans are venerated as heroes, and
protests continued for days in the city of Zhenjiang before police
intervened.
The nine suspected organisers of the the Zhenjiang protest allegedly
assembled more than 1,000 people in front of the city government illegally
and “engaged in violent confrontation with police and security staff,” Xinhua
said.
In Pingdu 10 people were alleged to have organised veteran protests which
Xinhua said attacked the police, smashed cars and obstructed government
operations. Thousands of army veterans have staged protests in recent years
against officials whom they accuse of denying them benefits.
China’s defence ministry had vowed in 2016 to improve living standards for
veterans after thousands had demonstrated outside army offices in Beijing.
China has laid off more than a million troops since the 1980s and vowed
last year to further cut its two-million strong army.
BSS/AFP/MR/1037 hrs