By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, May 18: Tens of thousands of Chinese people yesterday gathered in Wanxing Square in the center of Linshui County to protest against a proposed route of a new railway line in central China’s Sichuan province.
The protest led to clash between police and residents of Linshui County resulting in the death of four dead including a 12-year-old boy and over 100 injured.
Last week, residents of Linshui County found out that the Guang’an Urban Development Committee favor another plan stretching the railway line more than 200 kilometers bypassing Linshui.
Residents of Linshui County marched about 3km after they were informed that a planned 200 kilometer stretch of railway would be built to bypass their community.
The residents want to have a proposed railway linking Dazhou to Chongqing to pass through their county in the centre of Sichuan. The county currently has no railway, waterway, or airport.
Photos of injured demonstrators soaked in blood were circulated on social networking sites like Wiebo, China’s own version of Facebook which is banned in China.
