Police arrest 16 for illegal actions in anti-Japan rally
26/4/2005 14:51
Shanghai Daily news
Shanghai prosecutors have approved the arrests of 16 suspects they believe
were involved in an anti-Japanese demonstration on April 16, accusing them of
disturbing the social order, authorities said yesterday. Another 26 people
were punished by being placed in short-term detention, officials said. Some
20,000 Shanghai residents participated in anti-Japanese demonstrations across
the city on April 16. "Dissatisfied with Japan's wrong attitudes and actions
on a series of issues such as its history of aggression, the students and
citizens spontaneously took to the streets to demonstrate and protest,
expressing their discontent with the right-wing forces in Japan," Shanghai
government spokeswoman Jiao Yang said in an earlier interview. While most of
the participants were peaceful, a few threw rocks and engaged in other
destructive actions. One suspect, Hunan Province native Li Bichun, allegedly
threw beer bottles at Japanese restaurants and stores on Gubei Road in Changning
District. Zhang Jianyong, a suspect from Hubei Province, was arrested for
allegedly climbing on top of a building and tossing stones and bottles at
Japanese bars and shops. "I regret my behavior very much," said Zhang. "I
should not have broken the law." Among the other suspects was university
physical education teacher Yin Xiufeng, who was accused of inciting others to
break through a police line and damage signposts and bars on Xianxia Road in
Changning District. "I let down my university, my teachers as well as my
students," Yin said. "I hope others can learn a lesson from me." The
investigation into the illegal behavior during the demonstration is continuing,
police said. They warned those involved in illegal activities to surrender
to police as soon as possible, and they asked residents to provide information
on those who committed violent acts. The city traffic authority will be
placed on alert during the upcoming Labor Day holiday, focusing on densely
populated areas such as main roads, commercial centers and transport stations,
to respond to any emergency that arises, a local traffic official told Oriental
TV news yesterday. Police urged the public not to take part in illegal
marches or demonstrations and not to encourage such activities through Internet
or cell phone short messages. Police have detained one person in Nanjing for
trying to organize an anti-Japanese protest during the Labor Day holiday, Yangzi
Evening News reported yesterday. The newspaper said the 20-year-old man used
a popular chatroom to encourage demonstrations, and he also allegedly threatened
to detonate car bombs during the protests.
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