Posted on 04/11/2012 7:25:25 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Fall of China official roils Chongqing, with some public dissent
Residents who benefited from local chief Bo Xilai's initiatives openly defend him. But the crackdown, with sensational allegations against his wife, continues.
By Jonathan Kaiman, Los Angeles Times
April 11, 2012
CHONGQING, China — Change has come quickly to this sprawling city of 30 million people since the charismatic local party chief, Bo Xilai, was fired last month by the national Communist Party leadership in China's most high-profile political shake-up in 20 years.
Signs in public squares now ban gatherings to sing "red songs," a prominent element of Bo's effort to revitalize Mao-era values. Advertising has replaced propaganda messages on television. Bo's supporters say some old problems — be it the nuisance of unwanted leaflets or a bigger issue like prostitution — are creeping back.
But the former Chongqing party chief's most ardent followers aren't ready to simply accept his fate. Instead, they are challenging an unwritten rule that such high-level political decisions in China are beyond reproach by common people.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/China/Riots-break-out-in-Chongqing/Article1-839052.aspx
Riots break out in Chongqing
Sutirtho Patranobis, Hindustan Times
Beijing, April 11, 2012
Widespread clashes were reported from the southwestern city of Chongqing on Tuesday, the same day the city’s former party chief Bo Xilai was sacked from his remaining Communist party posts. An anonymous government official told Associated Press that the incidents were not related. The
incidents, the official indicated, were more connected to the merging of Wanshen, the part of Chongqing where the rioting took place, with the neighbouring Qijiang county.
The official told AP that Wansheng was running out of mining resources and trying to modernise its economy. “But its economic problems become more pronounced after it was merged into neighboring Qijiang county earlier this year, said the official, who like many Chinese officials did not want to give his name.”
Online reports, which could not be independently verified, said thousands came out on the streets demanding that the merger be annulled. A large number of security personnel were deployed to bring the situation under control.
There was no word about the incident in the official media except a mention in the Chinese version of the state-run Xinhua news agency about a violent incident in Chongqing.
I’ve been following this story for a while. Real intrigue here.
Who doesn’t like to sing red songs?
Let us boldly fulfill the Five Year Plan! It speaks to me.
They can say what they like. Whether the riots are justified or not or what the reason is trivial. They removed the top guy and riots happen is the story.
30 million people city? That’s like a whole European country.
China, you got a problem.
I can see it going into Gulag ghetto lockdown or them dropping a nuke there. Sheesh.
The John Batchelor Show has been following events in China very closely. This will be a fight to the death between Bo and his enemies, followed by a bloody clean out of the losing faction. This “could†be a repeat of the Cultural Revolution. I was wondering how Apple and other companies with key manufacturing plants would be affected. These are interesting times for China and are bound to become more so.I think Batchelor has the best show for international and national issues - usually critical of Obama’s foreign policies and national monetary policy. He’s not like Rush, but has expert guests, like Victor Davis Hansen and others from Hoover.
Bo certainly has creative thinking! Too bad our glorious leader doesn't have a clue about leading, let alone have creative ideas.
Bo was too Red for the ChiComs? Wow.
Heywood was Gu’s business partner and reputed to also be working for MI-6.
Heywood was Gu’s business partner and reputed to also be working for MI-6.
MI-6? I suppose that, even if he was not working for them initially, he would have been recruited eventually. MI-6 cannot miss such a golden opportunity. In a communist country, there is no better way to can a powerful figure than tying him with foreign espionage. Many powerful figures in various communist countries had been purged ostensibly for being foreign spies.
The details would make for a great mystery/spy thriller movie.
Heywood worked for the intel business Hakluyt & Co. the MI-6 connection.
Bo’s wife, lawyer Bo Gu Kailai, is in jail along with her assistant Zhang Xiaojun. Heywood was a frequent guest and involved with both in “trading” activities. Heywood used their connections to travel freely and meet high level business and political connections.
Seems Heywood was found dead at the age of 41, highly intoxicated, cause of death was a “heart attack” some days after he told a friend he was in trouble. In a highly unusual move, he was cremated without autopsy against the wishes of his mother and the British Consulate.
Bo’s police chief Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate in Chengdu and offered details on the whole affair but was handed over to Beijing and Bo was immediately dumped.
Heywood may have been the bag man for payoffs to Taiwan businessmen, just a rumor, lots of chatter.
Gonna be a bumpy ride. Wish I was closer so I could write the screenplay.
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