BBC News reports today, 27th June, of the mounting unrest in China following the unprecedented destruction of many of the country's schools in the Szechuan earthquake. It has also documented attempts to undermine the efforts of angered parents who want a full inquiry into the disaster. Apparently, many of the buildings had not been built in accordance with proper construction codes.
Reports from Hong Kong, Paris and US media have told of police officers blocking roads to ruined schools in an effort to "maintain order" and prevent dozens of rallies from taking place, which were organised to condemn the government's failure to protect schoolchildren. Officers have also smashed monuments to the students, beaten protesting parents and driven away foreign journalists.
This will only take the shine off the welcomed assistance of the authorities in Beijing to send foreign aid to stricken areas.
More on this story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2008/06/chinas_quake_unrest.html
