Lijiang protesters held as rent dispute gets violent

Police have detained 10 protesters from a mob that stormed a local government office after a dispute over rents for shops in the old town of the picturesque tourist destination of Lijiang, in Yunnan province.

The local government and police have started an investigation after around 100 shop tenants protested at the office, demanding help with a conflict over the price of shops leases with the contractor of a market Friday.

An official from Gucheng district public security bureau in Lijiang told people.com.cn Sunday that they detained seven males and three females.

The official added that the detention of the traders is not final but only serves as a measure to support the current investigation.

Prosecutors in Lijiang have also participated in the investigation to supervise the police work and to look for possible misbehavior in police officers as they handled the protest.

Previous news reports said three police officers and three protesters were taken to hospitals for treatment but their injuries were not severe.

The conflict was caused by a raise in rent. Xiang Liping, a tenant of the Huahui Industrial Products Market, told the media that the annual rent for her 20-square-meter shop has increased from 20,000 yuan ($3,305) to 80,000 yuan.

Failing to reach an agreement, the market contractor closed the main gate Friday.

Disputes immediately broke out between the tenants and the market management staff after the angry tenants forced their way into the market.

Efforts from the police to quell the dispute later failed with more than 100 people rallying in front of the Gucheng district government to file a petition.

The situation soon spiraled out of control and the protesters engaged in a physical altercation with police officers and employees from the local letters and calls office.

Angry protesters also broke into some government offices and smashed furniture and office supplies.

Additional police forces were deployed and the protest was put under control by 11 am Friday morning, according to local news portal yunnan.cn on Saturday.

The tenants and their contractor still have not reached an agreement, the news portal reported.