Word: chengguan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...recent weeks, chengguan officers have been accused of many violations. In southeastern Jiangxi province, local residents say bureau officers beat to death a farmer who was trying to stop a land-reclamation project. His killing sparked a riot, with angry residents overturning chengguan cars on a local highway. In the southern city of Changsha, city-management officers allegedly beat a Chinese reporter who was visiting from Beijing to cover a demolition-and-relocation project. And in the central city of Xi'an, chengguan who were shutting down a breakfast stall kicked a wok and burned a vendor with scalding...
...reaction of passersby who witnessed the Beijing raid in March gives an indication of the suspicion with which the chengguan are held by average citizens. Hundreds of people surrounded the van, shouted at its occupants and even attempted to turn the vehicle over. "Many of them stood up for us, accusing the thugs of beating a defenseless old woman," says Yuan. It was only around 6 p.m., seven hours after the clash began, that the crowd allowed the van to escape...
...notion that 'chengguan routinely use violence' is not compatible with the facts," the Beijing chengguan's media office wrote in a reply to TIME, adding that in recent years their officers have improved law enforcement and responded to the public's demands. The media office acknowledged the existence of the controversial manual but said its methods were not used. As for Su, the chengguan said she disturbed social order and prevented the officers from carrying out their duties, leading to a 15-day detention...
...existed for years, but the government has made little progress in reducing it. Now many observers fear that the economic crisis could make the tension even more acute. The central government fears that financial uncertainty could provoke greater social instability, fanning incidents like the Beijing standoff between the chengguan and citizens into bigger outbreaks of violence. The slowdown will also force more migrant workers who can't find steady jobs in factories to make money peddling on the street, provoking further fights with management officers...
...urgency has sparked calls for reform. He Bing, a professor at the China University of Politics and Law in Beijing, suggests that the current system be scrapped. The academic believes that peddlers should be given more flexibility to sell their goods and that the chengguan should concentrate on more pressing urban issues. "Street vendors are an important part of the market economy and directly contribute to the GDP," says He. "There are also other merits - cheap street markets cater to low-income families, add color to city life, utilize public space and create jobs...