Saturday, June 2, 2007

Crazy Surge of Bus Fee Causing Riot


An unreasonable increase in bus fare in a small county in the Hunan province has resulted in hugh conflict between the citizen and the local government. Reportedly, the private bus company colluded with the local government to raise bus fare by 5 RMB. This is a second fare increase in less than one year. A poor student going to Guang Dong was unable to pay the bus fare and was kick out of the bus. This invoked the discontent of other passengers who had been disappointed by the intolerable rise in bus fare which had become unaffordable by normal wage earners who could hardly earn more than a few hundred dollars a month in the area.

Riot began when the bus company called upon the local police force to beat up some of the discontented protestors. The injury of peaceful protestors served as a catalyst of a large scale protest involving over 10,000 citizens. Some disappointed citizen started burning some buses on the street. Reportedly, the local government was unable to stop the protest and had to ask for help from the nearby Guang Dong province.

Official Chinese Communist Party media asserted that there were only a few violent rioters purposely created the riot. However, some local citizens suggested that the riot was a result of the corruption between the local bus company and the local government.

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