Villages in Hainan on edge after clashes

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-26 16:04

DONGFANG, Hainan -- The power was off, schools and shops were closed, and the streets were largely deserted in Gancheng Village, Hainan Province on Thursday following a series of clashes with the neighboring village of Baoshang that have left one person dead and 13 injured.

The Hainan Provincial Public Security Department dispatched more than 300 police to maintain order and search for instigators of the violence. As of Thursday, some dozens of the officers were patrolling a bridge that connects the two villages, in an effort to separate the two groups. Some 100 local officials have been trying to calm residents.

The two villages in China's southernmost province, each with about 10,000 people, have feuded for some 80 years over farmland that lies on their mutual border, and this dispute has created a simmering antagonism.

However, the disputes this week, which have been far more violent than most, reflect other, newer causes, according to Xinhua correspondents who have been investigating the dispute.

SCHOOL BULLYING, CORRUPTION CLAIMS

One problem has been that students from Baoshang, who attend schools in Gancheng, have been bullied and subjected to demands for money. The two groups of students have brawled frequently, but not usually violently.

Gancheng gets many students from surrounding villages, but problems have only occurred with those from Baoshang, the correspondent found. On Monday, one student from Gancheng itself was subjected to a revenge attack by Baoshang students, villagers claim.

Another problem is that residents of both villages claim there has been corruption among local officials, with public money embezzled. Although these claims don't directly involve the relationship between the villages, anger with this situation helped fuel the dispute this week.

Gancheng villagers protested at government facilities Monday, saying that local officials hadn't protected local students from the Baoshang students. The school dispute isn't directly connected with the claims of corruption, it seems to have been the last straw for Gancheng villagers, who the correspondent found had lost confidence in their local government.

DAYS OF VIOLENCE

During Monday's protest, vehicles were smashed and a local government building and the police station were set on fire. During that protest, two bystanders were injured. That protest set off almost a week of violence, which resulted in the following incidents:

-- Late Tuesday night, Gancheng villagers went to Baoshang and scuffled with residents there. One Gancheng resident was seriously hurt in that dispute, and four Baoshang villagers were slightly injured. At that point, power facilities in Baoshang were damaged, cutting off power to Gancheng.

Yang Bin, head of Gancheng Township police station, and his deputy Fang Xiaohong, were dismissed Tuesday.

-- There was yet more trouble Wednesday afternoon, as residents from both villages clashed in Baoshang, leaving one person dead of stab wounds and six injured.

Tension remained high Thursday. Feng Wenhu, a local retired middle school teacher in Gancheng, said both villages were on alert against new attacks from each other and new violence could break out at any time.

There was no word when the schools in Gancheng would reopen, he said.