Detentions Ahead of Anniversary

By Radio Free Asia

June 30, 2011

Chinese authorities want key cities free of petitioners on the 90th anniversary of the Communist Party.

China has stepped up security in Beijing and Tibet ahead of a key political anniversary on Friday, when carefully organized groups will sing revolutionary songs in praise of the ruling Communist Party.

An employee who answered the phone at a guesthouse in the Tibetan capital Lhasa said police had stepped up checks on the entire industry in recent days.

"They come in the middle of the night and in the early morning," the employee said.

"Tomorrow is July 1," the employee said, referring to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. "Here, if they don't have an ID card, we can't let them stay."

As the nation's capital tightened security ahead of the anniversary events, Wang Kouma, a petitioner from Shanghai, said he was currently being held in a Beijing hotel room by police after being detained by officials from the Shanghai municipal representative office in the capital.

"They put me in this hotel, where there are a lot of people watching me," Wang said. "They are just outside the door of my room, and they won't give me my freedom."

"My mother was persecuted to death and I am seeking redress on her behalf, but I'm not even free to pursue a complaint".

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