ConflictBarometer_2015

ASIA AND OCEANIA
CHINA (SOCIOECONOMIC PROTESTS)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 1978
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
environmentalists, migrant workers,
peasants et al. vs. government
resources, other
The violent crisis over social and economic resources between
peasants, workers, environmentalists, and other social
groups, on the one hand, and the government, on the
other, continued. People engaged in illegal protests against
pollution, corruption, land grabs, working conditions, and
restrictive urban management. Thereby, they contested the
government's economic growth and social stability maintenance
policies.
Accompanying the slowdown of economic growth and instability
of the Chinese stock market, the number of bankruptcies
and strikes increased drastically. The China Labor Bulletin
reported a double increase of strikes, from 1,379 to 2,774
cases, in comparison to 2014. On July 18, about ten migrant
workers reportedly protesting for higher wages at a road construction
site in Luoyang, Hebei Province, attacked the police
with bricks, a claw, and hammers. The police killed one and
injured one severely. On November 9, workers in Shenzhen,
Guangdong Province, camped outside a toy factory after their
manager disappeared. Mobilization for environmental issues
and against corruption continued to increase and turned out
violent more frequently. From June 22 to 28, up to 30,000
people protested the construction of a PX chemical plant in
Jinshan district, Shanghai. From June 26 to 28, authorities
partially slowed down local internet access and obstructed
access to social media. On June 27, public transportation
was restricted as locals travelled to Shanghai city center to
protest. Shanghai People's Park was temporarily closed. The
police dispersed the masses on the same day, injuring at least
ten people and deporting dozens of protesters with busses.
Waste incinerators became the trigger of public discontent
in many cases, including violent protests by thousands in
Lantang and Yangchun, Guangdong Province, in Luofa, Hebei.
Approx. 10,000 residents of dozens of surrounding villages
clashed with 1,000 policemen using tear gas from November
29 to 30 in Jinzao Township, Shantou, Guangdong. Dozens
were injured, 40 protesters detained, and police vehicles
burned. On May 20, up to 20,000 people protested against
the planned construction of a waste incinerator in Qianshui,
Guangdong, clashing with riot police. Similar protests
were staged from August 11 to 12 by up to 3,000 villagers
against the construction of a nuclear power plant in Jieshi
village, Guangdong. On November 1, by up to 10,000 people
protested against pollution caused by an industrial park in
Shangrao, Jiangxi Province. Many protesters were injured in
both incidents.
While the government endeavored to reform rural land use,
strikes against land grabs turned violent and were met with increased
police presence. For instance, clashes between hundreds
of policemen and up to 1,000 villagers who protested
from May 11 onwards in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, left two
dead and 18 people injured. Similarly, up to several thousand
locals damaged government buildings and overturned police
cars in two separate cases on June 27 and on August 9 in
Yulin, Guangxi Province. On May 16, approx. 20,000 locals
protested against the provincial government's decision to let
the planned high-speed rail track by-pass Linshui, Sichuan
Province, in favor of Deng Xiaoping's hometown Guang'an.
In clashes with tactical police forces, three protesters died,
about 100 were injured, and police cars were destroyed. After
the protest, public transportation and access to and from
Linshui was restricted. los
CHINA (TAIWAN OPPOSITION)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2014
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
opposition vs. ROC government
system/ideology
The violent crisis over the political system between opposition
groups and the government of the Republic of China
(ROC) on Taiwan continued. In 2014, the so-called ''sunflower
movement', made up of students and civil society groups, had
protested against the signing of the Cross-Strait Service Trade
Agreement (CSSTA) between the ROC and the People's Republic
of China (PRC). Up to 400 protesters had occupied the
Legislative Yuan between 03/18/14 and 04/10/14 and at
least 137 people had been injured in clashes with the police.
This year, on February 10, Taiwanese public prosecutors
raised charges against 118 people involved in the sunflower
movement for, inter alia, trespassing, obstructing official
business, and inciting others to commit criminal acts. On May
5, an additional 39 people were indicted for participation in
last year's occupation.
On March 22, the Black Island Nation Youth Front (BINYF), a
group involved in the protests, organized a demonstration
with around 300 students in front of the Legislative Yuan in
order to commemorate the 2014 occupation. On the evening
of March 31, 30 members of the BINYF and additional supporters
protested in front of the Presidential Office against
the government's decision to apply as a founding member of
the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), initiated by
the PRC.
Student protests were also sparked by a controversy over
guidelines in textbooks for history teaching introduced in
Taiwanese high schools in 2014. While the Ministry of Education
insisted that the proposed changes to the textbooks
only constituted ''minor adjustments,' the protesters claimed
that the changes were politically motivated and did not accurately
portray Taiwan's authoritarian period. On July 24,
dozens of students protested in front of the Ministry of Education,
18 students managed to enter the building. The police
evicted and arrested 33 students. After a student leader of
the protest had committed suicide on July 30, about 700
students protested again in front of the ministry during the
night of July 31. Some attempted to tear down barricades surrounding
the building and around 200 protesters managed
to occupy parts of the grounds of the ministry. The police
received orders not to remove the students. In the context of
the meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and the PRC's
President Xi Jinping in Singapore, a series of protests organized
by civic groups such as the Taiwan Democracy Watch
were carried out at several spots in the capital Taipei. For
instance, on November 6, dozens of people protested in front
of the Presidential Office and dozens of protesters attempted
later to enter the Legislative Yuan. When the police tried to
dissolve the protest, violent clashes led to slight injuries on
both sides. abr
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