6 jailed over South China city unrest
Updated: 2011-07-12 14:03
(Xinhua)
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GUANGZHOU - Six people have received jail terms ranging from nine months to three and a half years over last month's unrest in a city in Guangdong Province, a local court said in a statement Tuesday.
The People's Court of Zengcheng City handed down the jail terms on Monday.
Li Zhonghuang, who was accused of destroying three police vehicles during the unrest in the town of Xintang on June 11, was sentenced to three and a half years.
Li led a group who threw stones and set vehicles on fire, according to the court document.
He was convicted on the charges of creating disturbances and destroying public property.
Four others were convicted on the same charges.
Kang Chuan, who smashed and overturned several police vehicles during the unrest near a shopping center in town, was sentenced to two and a half years.
Yang Fajun and Ran Qinghua, who threw stones at and smashed vehicles on a main highway in Xintang following the unrest, were sentenced to two years.
Ou Lin, who attempted to set parked cars on fire but was stopped by police, received a nine-month jail term.
Another suspect, Zhao Jiufu, was sentenced to two years for obstructing official affairs.
Zhao threw stones at police who were attempting to maintain order during the unrest. When a police officer tried to grab him, Zhao bit him on the stomach.
The defendants all confessed their crimes and pleaded guilty during the trial, the court document said.
Local police said last week altogether 11 suspects involved in the unrest were charged.
Several officials, including the secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Committee of Xintang, where the unrest occurred, and the town chief, had also been removed from their posts.
On June 10, a pregnant migrant woman and her husband from the southwestern Sichuan Province were involved in a dispute with a security personnel surnamed Lu.
Lu asked the couple to move their stall in front of a supermarket in Dadun Village of Xintang.
Irritated by the row, more than 100 migrant workers gathered in front of the supermarket for two days. Some of them hurled bottles and bricks at government officials and police vehicles.
They later marched toward the nearby Dadun public security station, damaging several police vehicles and private cars with rocks on their way.
Su Zhijia, deputy secretary of CPC committee of Guangzhou City, said the incident was triggered by mounting anger among migrant workers.
Su said public services for migrant workers needed to be improved to avoid further unrest.