Not nice - Qidong protests turn violent

See that movie here first & later read about the whole story below:


Chinese City Halts Plant’s Waste Project After Thousands Protest
By Bloomberg News on July 29, 2012
Authorities in eastern China scrapped plans to build a waste pipeline from a paper mill run by Japan’s Oji Paper Co. after opposition from local residents mounted and a protest turned violent.



Thousands of people gathered in Qidong, a coastal city of more than 1 million people across the Yangtze River from Shanghai, to renew protests against a project they say will pollute the sea, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Demonstrators dispersed after the mayor of Nantong, a city that administers Qidong, announced in a live televised broadcast that the project would be permanently halted, Xinhua said.

The demonstration is the latest in a series of confrontations between local governments and residents over pollution concerns linked to industrial projects. Thousands of people in the southwestern city of Shifang protested for three days earlier this month over the construction of a molybdenum copper plant, and demonstrators in northeast China’s Dalian last year succeeded in getting a chemical factory shuttered on environmental grounds, according to reports by state media.



The Qidong protests “demonstrate that ordinary people’s awareness of their rights has increased and they are more willing to assert their rights,” Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct professor of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said in a telephone interview today. “It also demonstrates more sophistication on the part of the authorities in handling protests.”

Strike a Deal

Cases interpreted by the authorities as potentially “anti- party or anti-government” would lead to a crackdown “mercilessly and with a lot of force,” Lam said. “But if a protest is regarded as basically economic and environmental in nature, they are more willing to strike a deal.”


In a speech to leaders and officials of the ruling Communist Party published by Xinhua on July 23, President Hu Jintao noted that people’s demands for a better life and expectations for prompt solutions to prominent social problems were increasing.


About 10,000 Qidong residents joined yesterday’s protest, in which computers, desks and chairs in a government building were damaged, Japan’s Asahi newspaper reported on its newswire. Opponents gathered even after Qidong’s vice mayor, Zhang Jianxin, announced the previous day that the project was suspended and pledged to listen to residents’ concerns.


Riot Gear

The Associated Press said some protesters clashed with police and turned a patrol car on its side. Hundreds of officers, some in riot gear, arrived later in the day and took up positions outside government offices, according to the AP report.



Photographs and comments about the demonstrations were posted yesterday morning on Sina Corp. (SINA) (SINA)’s microblogging service Weibo, showing offices of the Qidong government ransacked, police cars overturned and clashes between police and residents. By late afternoon, the material had been removed and didn’t appear in searches for “Qidong.”

The cancellation of the project announced by Nantong’s mayor Zhang Guohua came a day after the Qidong administration said it was suspending construction of the pipeline.



“In the face of people’s suggestions and opinions” the government is “conducting further evaluation and suspending construction of the discharge pipeline,” Zhang said in a letter to residents that he read out in a video posted on the government’s website on July 27.

‘Severely Punish’


At the same time, he warned that illegal gatherings and protests threaten the city’s economic development and that the public security bureau will “severely punish” the “small number of criminals who broke the law and gathered to disturb social order.”


Residents had petitioned against construction of the pipeline on the grounds that it would pollute a nearby fishery, the state-owned People’s Daily reported on its website on July 27. Yesterday’s Shanghai Daily said there were also claims that discharge from the mill could pollute Shanghai’s Qingcaosha Reservoir at the mouth of the Yangtze River.


Local residents had voiced concerns on the internet “for years” about environmental damage to the sea around Qidong, one of the country’s four major fishing grounds, Xinhua said in a report datelined yesterday.



The waste discharge pipeline targeted by the protesters was linked to a paper mill operated by an Oji Paper venture. The plant, in the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone, involved total investment of $1.95 billion, and was the group’s largest overseas investment, according to Xinhua.


Environmental Damage
The pipeline is an auxiliary project of the plant and is not carried out by Oji Paper’s joint venture, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement on its Chinese-language website on July 27. The Qidong plant has a “very strict” management system in which water is treated inside the facility before being discharged, the company said.


Protests, strikes and riots are increasing in China amid concerns that the nation’s rapid economic growth is damaging the environment, worsening pollution and encouraging corruption. The growth of the internet and microblogs has made it more difficult for the government to control the spread of information, and has pushed authorities to respond to criticism and demonstrations.


Beijing’s Communist Party Secretary Guo Jinlong said on July 27 the government must “seriously reflect” on the lessons of the recent floods in the capital, after users of microblog services accused the authorities of hiding the death toll and neglecting the city’s outdated sewer systems.


He spoke the same day the government raised to 77 from an initial 37 its estimate of the number of people who died in Beijing’s record July 21 rainstorms.


The authority’s slowness “left the general public enraged and perplexed,” Xinhua said in a commentary.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: William Bi in Beijing at wbi@bloomberg.net

No weekend music - this is much better

Just see that little guy having his performance in front of a few 100 people - fully in Mandarin - no break - no interruption - cool performance - I am proud !

Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai charged with Heywood murder

Here about THAT - be careful what you are doing in China & what kind of people you deal with - this is my only comment to that story: Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai charged with Heywood murder from BBC: The wife of disgraced Chinese political leader Bo Xilai has been charged with the murder of UK businessman Neil Heywood, state news agency Xinhua says. Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, employed at Mr Bo's home, were "recently" prosecuted by a Chinese court, Xinhua said, without giving further details. Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011. The apparent murder of Mr Heywood triggered Mr Bo's downfall in a scandal that has rocked Chinese politics. Local officials initially said Mr Heywood died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case. The two accused have been charged with intentional homicide by the Hefei Municipal Procuratorate (state prosecutor's office) in the eastern province of Anhui. Britain welcomed the news, saying it was "glad to see" China is continuing the investigation into Mr Heywood's death. Political influence? The timing of the announcement is significant, as is the fact that Ms Gu is being prosecuted in Anhui, some distance from Chongqing, where the crime allegedly took place, says BBC Chinese.com editor Yuwen Wu. Legal experts told BBC Chinese that authorities would have had concerns about the political influence Bo Xilai and his family may still exert in Chongqing and whether that would affect a fair trial. Analysts also say the authorities are keen to resolve the case quickly before China undergoes its politically sensitive once-in-a-decade party leadership change at the Communist Party congress this autumn. Users of China's Sina Weibo website - the equivalent of Twitter- were quick to express their shock at the abrupt announcement, but "Gu Kailai" remains a censored keyword. A number of users criticised the timing of the report, alleging that the authorities wanted to divert attention from recent deadly floods in Beijing. High-flyer Investigators have concluded that Ms Gu and her son had conflicts with Mr Heywood over economic interests, and that worries about a possible threat posed by Mr Heywood to her son's personal security may have led Ms Gu, along with Mr Zhang, to poison Mr Heywood to death, according to Xinhua. "The facts of the two defendants' crime are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial," said the agency's report, which was also read out on state television. Businessman Neil Heywood died on 15 November in the Chinese city of Chongqing The exact nature of Mr Heywood's role and his relations with the Bo family are unclear, and have been the subject of much speculation inside and outside China. At the very least, there were close business contacts between the Bo family and Mr Heywood. Mr Bo, the former high-flying leader of the south-western Chinese mega-city of Chongqing, was sacked in March and is under investigation for allegedly flouting Communist Party rules. He made his name tackling corruption in the sprawling city of Chongqing and had been expected to be elected to an important position during this year's leadership change. Mr Bo also implemented a drive to promote China's communist past, which included public performances of Mao-era songs in Chongqing. There have been claims that his anti-crime drive involved cases of torture. Continue reading the main story TIMELINE: BO XILAI SCANDAL 2 Feb: Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun is demoted, confirming he has fallen out with the city's Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai. 6 Feb: Mr Wang flees to the US consulate in nearby Chengdu, where he spends the night. Many believe he went there to seek asylum. 5 Mar: China announces that Bo Xilai has been removed from his post in Chongqing. 20 Mar: Rumours suggest that Mr Bo could be linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood, who died in Chongqing last November. 10 Apr: China says Bo Xilai has been suspended from party posts and his wife, Gu Kailai, is being investigated over Mr Heywood's death. 26 July: Gu Kailai and Bo family employee Zhang Xiaojun are charged with killing Mr Heywood. Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline One of China's most charismatic politicians, his status as the son of former party elder Bo Yibo made him one of the "princelings" of Chinese politics - a term used to describe the descendants of senior party figures in the early years of communist rule. His downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate, reportedly to seek asylum after falling out with Mr Bo over his investigation into the death of Mr Heywood. The Xinhua report about Ms Gu's prosecution made no reference to Mr Bo or any investigation into him. Earlier this month, French architect Patrick Devillers, who is alleged to have links to Mr Bo and Ms Gu, was arrested in Cambodia before voluntarily flying to China. A Chinese official said he was wanted as a witness. On Tuesday, he was reported to be in "good shape" after meeting French diplomats earlier in the week.

Typhoon is gone

Please see here - late night news 24.07.12

Typhoon Number 10 now in Hong Kong

See here 1 hour ago it was only Number 9 - now it is Number 10. Yes very windy, crazy rain - better you make sure you are at home safely - watch the clip from the TVB late news here: More tomorrow - I enjoy that mood - all Hong Kong close to a complete SHUTDOWN !

Deep Purple - Child in Time 1972 ( In Memory of Jon Lord )

This is your weekend music........Jon Lord has passed away a few days ago - RIP. This one is great & 100% authentic ! Best one to find on YouTube (Ian Paice is fat...).

Sorry for slow posting, so busy - back & forth to factory - have a nice weekend & thank you for reading my blog.

APPLE CHINA HUMAN RELATIONS

Okay - yes APPLE is a very big company worldwide - a big player. Recently I met a friend, a chinese guy, mid 30's, I know him some time ago as we did some business some years ago. He has changed his business totally devoted to IT, computers etc. He told me he now has a job application running for the newly planned APPLE SHOP in Shenzhen. His job application is now running since 8 months.
Including a half day (5 hours) interview in a Hotel in Shenzhen with 4 different groups of managers (GWEILO). My friend is now on his own hold to get a green light for that job: Just some SENIOR SHOP MANAGER. Now they are planning a training in Shanghai - dates for that training have been postponed already 3 times. All the managers handling this is chinese staff - why do they need 8 months and more to make decisions ? My friend told me he knows about cases taking more than 1.5 years to get a job contract settled with APPLE in China. Ooops - sorry this sounds very bad HR organisation - do the guys in US really know about that kind a hanky-panky way of local recruiting ?

GIVE CY LEUNG A CHANCE !

After watching todays news I want to say following. Protesting just for the purpose of protesting / opposing is meaningless. Here in Hong Kong & everywhere else in the world. A government will always have to face some opposition - yes, but now in case of the new Hong Kong CE CY Leung in my personal opinion it goes a little bit too far. Just want to ruin CY Leung to start his job properly - not a good idea. About illegal structures at his home - what a bad guy ? Not really in my opinion.
Many, many people in Hong Kong having that illegal structures. You get yourself the SUNDAY MORNING POST - in the magazine they always have a part displaying some peoples appartments:
Open kitchen - illegal. Merged appartments with 2 balconies - illegal. Knocking down walls - illegal.
Almost 80% shown in that SUNDAY MORNING POST magazine stories about appartments - ALL ILLEGAL. Just wonder if the people are wrong or maybe the law should be somewhat adjusted. To say the integrity of a politician is in doubt because he had a canope on top of his front door - this is nonsense. So everybody here in Hong Kong: Let CY Leung get to work - give him some time & then start to jugde - not now after just 1 week in office. This also has something to do with DEMOCRACY !

Dedicated to all readers of this blog !

downstairs at the podium tonight some guy posted that - I guess it was the guy who just married this morning here in that building with many people & cameras etc ...anyhow this is for all my dear readers: Thank you for reading my blog.