Two men who planned a mass protest in Tiananmen Square in December have been
held in custody by police, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau
announced recently.
Su Shuping (right)
and Wu Daming are held in custody by police for planning a mass protest in
Tiananmen Square. [chinadaily.com.cn]
Sun Shuping, 32, from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and 46-year-old Wu
Daming from southwest China's Sichuan Province were held in custody for illegal
gathering and leading over 100 protesters, who came from various localities of
the country to complain about different problems, to Tiananmen Square on
December 12,2003.
Beijing police said their activities violated China's law and regulations on
protest and demonstration.
Sun came to Beijing last November to complain about a court rule over her
family property and Wu entered the capital to appeal a debt dispute in October
2003.
Sun and Wu got to know each other in Beijing and then applied for permission
for the protest on December 9, 2003, but the application was denied.
Police also said two other people, Zhang Shangzhong, from northwest China's
Shannxi Province, and Zhao Fengcai, from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region, were also detained for organizing dozens of people to try to rush into
and protest in the Diaoyutai State Guest House, where visiting foreign country
leaders usually stay and important meetings are held.
A police spokesman said Chinese citizens can deliver their complaints to
relevant government departments in a lawful way. Illegal protests will not help
to solve the problems and organizers of such protests will be punished according
to the law.
