Thousands riot in southwest China: Xinhua



by Staff Writers



Beijing (AFP) Aug 12, 2011



Thousands of rioters took to the streets in southwestern China, with some smashing and burning vehicles, after a city official injured a female cyclist, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

The riots broke out late Thursday in Guizhou province and carried on all night, with 10 police officers wounded in the violence, the report said.

Rioters also blocked the city's main roads using trucks, the state-run China National Radio reported on its website.

Xinhua said the riots were set off when "chengguan" officials, responsible for low-level policing on China's streets, injured a female cyclist while trying to confiscate her bicycle for illegal parking.

Chengguan officials, widely disliked in China and often accused of using excessive force against civilians, have been behind an increasing number of riots in recent years.

Last month, hundreds of people in another southern Chinese city rioted after a chengguan was reported to have beaten up a one-legged fruit seller.

The seller, who had apparently protested against the confiscation of his cart for illegal parking, later died of his injuries.

Comments on the Guizhou riots were blocked on popular Chinese microblogging website Weibo on Friday.