Officials admit existence of grievances before violent protest in SW China

GUIYANG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Officials in southwest China's Guizhou Province have admitted there are social grievances in Weng'an County where a girl's death sparked a violent protest over the weekend. At a panel discussion on the protest on Wednesday, officials from the provincial and local governments said local authorities in Weng'an County had failed to solve disputes over mines, demolition of illegal buildings, immigration, reform of state-owned enterprises and many other issues. "Some legitimate interests (of the people) were not effectively protected, and some people bore grievances," said a Guizhou Daily report on Thursday. The officials also blamed rampant crimes in the county, between600 and 800 cases annually. About half had not been solved. Theft, robbery and fighting were frequent occurrences. Up to 30,000 people... [read full story]