| Thousands of Chinese farmers and laid-off workers rioted in central China, attacking police and smashing squad cars, a local official said on Monday, the latest in a string of violent demonstrations. Nine police cars were burnt during the riot on Friday in the central province of Hunan in which 20,000 people clashed with about 1,000 police armed with guns and electric cattle prods, a local official told Reuters. “They did it because they were not satisfied with some government behaviour,” the official, surnamed Tan, said by telephone from the district of Lingling, which belongs to the Hunan city of Yongzhou. “They were also unhappy about official corruption,” Tan said without elaborating. The overseas human rights Web site Boxun (www.boxun.com) said the riot was sparked by dissatisfaction with rising public transport costs. |