One-child policy violence flares again in China

The clashes took place on Tuesday in at least three towns in Guangxi region, which this month has seen repeated riots over abuses by authorities implementing China's so-called "one-child" policy.

The worst of the new unrest appeared to have flared in the town of Yangmei, where several thousand people surrounded the local government headquarters and the family planning office on Tuesday, said a resident who withheld her name for fear of official reprisals.

They clashed with police and paramilitary units who were rushed in to disperse the crowd, then ransacked and set fire to the family planning office, she told AFP by telephone.

"It's because of the family planning problems. Many people were injured fighting police," she said, adding that things were calm on Wednesday.

In a report issued on Wednesday, China's official Xinhua news agency confirmed there was violence in Yangmei and the nearby town of Lingshan.

The crowds had gathered at the Yangmei family planning office to claim "a refund of penalties levied for having more than one child," Xinhua said, quoting a local government spokesman.

It said the crowd ransacked the office, but did not mention the building being set on fire.

Calls to the office by AFP on Wednesday reached only an error message saying the line had been cut.

Parts of Guangxi have been on a hair-trigger since riots erupted in at least seven cities two weeks ago over what residents say was a brutal three-month campaign by local officials to enforce the "one-child" policy.

Authorities have forced women to have abortions, destroyed violators' homes, confiscated property and imposed heavy fines, residents told AFP last week.

Many also demanded the government make amends for the abuses by returning seized property and refunding fines.

Hong Kong's Oriental Daily on Wednesday quoted villagers as saying rumours were circulating that a villager had been beaten to death in Yangmei, and that hundreds of citizens had been injured, with many hospitalised.

Hundreds of security personnel were sent to the towns from surrounding areas and had restored calm by Tuesday night, the newspaper reported.

Liang Fuxiang, a witness to the unrest Tuesday in nearby Licun town, said crowds had reassembled again on Wednesday but he saw no violence.

However, he said villagers were still angry.

"The government has posted notices telling people not to gather but it seems the villagers may continue to (protest)," he said.

Similar unrest occurred in the nearby town of Lingshan, where hundreds of people protested, according to Xinhua.

An official with the Rong county government, where the three towns are located, told AFP local officials on Wednesday went to meet villagers in Yangmei to explain the crackdown.

First introduced in the late 1970s amid fears of runaway population growth, China's controversial family planning policies limit urban residents to one child while allowing exceptions for rural and minority residents.