Police in Beijing yesterday blocked off streets near a major military building, as more than 1,000 of people wearing camouflage uniforms chanted and waved national flags to protest against the loss of their posts.
China last year announced it would cut troop levels by 300,000, targeting the bulk of the reductions by the end of next year, as it seeks to spend more money on high-tech weapons for its navy and air force.
Buses yesterday stretched down a block of Chang’an Avenue, Beijing’s main thoroughfare, with police blocking the gaps between vehicles to obstruct views of the tightly packed demonstrators.
Photo: AP
The protesters stood for several hours in front of the Bayi Building in central Beijing, home of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense
The voices of the protesters in front of the building rose above the traffic as they chanted songs, while some waved Chinese flags and banners protesting against their treatment after losing their positions in the military.
“Our rights and benefits to be transferred from military posts to suitable civilian work have been violated,” read the inscription on one of the banners.
Police denied reporters access to the demonstration site.
Protesters approached by The Associated Press (AP) declined to be interviewed and censors blocked searches on social media about retired soldiers or the ministry.
Two demonstrators told the AP they were veterans who wanted the government to address pensions, but they did not want to discuss the issue with foreign media. They declined to give their names.
Armed police vehicles also patrolled the area, and individuals who appeared to be plainclothes police carried walkie-talkies and headsets.
Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan (常萬全) was scheduled to host a banquet at the building last night for participants of the Xiangshan Forum, which Beijing styles as its answer to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.
Protests by demobilized soldiers are not uncommon and previously some who had fought against Vietnam in 1979 have demonstrated over problems with their pensions.
Human rights activist Huang Qi (黃琦) told the AP that veterans have staged more than 50 protests this year alone.
However, demonstrations on such a large scale are extremely rare in the center of Beijing.
Liu Feiyue (劉飛躍), editor of the Web site Minsheng Guancha, which monitors civil rights issues, said he was told by retired soldiers that other ex-soldiers were present.
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