There are various reports about the rebellion that took place in the village of Guangdong province in China last Tuesday. The Chinese Military forces were provoked to open fire on the protestors. A new power plant was to be constructed and people were protesting against it. Villagers told the reporters that as many as twenty people have died in the shoot out. This is the first time since 1989, when the police fired on people protesting in the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy demonstrations.

The news agency run by the State said that the shoot out was a mistake and added that three villagers were killed in the firing while the wounded counted to eight. The news agency claimed that the police used force only after the protestors used deadly detonators and spears.

The trouble in the area was boiling for long, as last month there was a roadblock by the protestors. The protestors wanted a fair deal of compensation for the land that was seized by the government. The villagers lost their fishing habitat and blamed the government for it.  On the other hand the villagers reported that the local authorities arrested the residents who wanted to complain about the power plant. After which a mob gathered in Dongzou to protest the arrest of the villagers. The crowd was then dispersed with the help of tear gasses. The protestors blocked the way and created another standoff.

It was reported that a villager screamed through a loudspeaker that they would throw detonators and threatened to blow up the power plant if the police did not retreat. The mob was throwing explosives at the police and this forced the police to fire at the mob. Since it was dark, in the chaos three villagers lost their lives and eight were injured. The police called the fire a mistake and has detained the officers who opened fire at the villagers. However, the police officers were not identified.

Newspapers in the area reported that the commandos did not handle the situation well. According to one villager, they did not expect the police to shoot. He saw his uncle die in front of his own eyes. Among the three villagers who died, one was a 26 years old who was in Dongzou to attend a wedding. The relatives reported that he stepped out of the house and was hit by the bullets fired by the police. A wounded man told the reporter that the police used tear gas and fired as many as 200 bullets. This was a shocking incident in China as people look for reforms in the country. 

The vice president of Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic China is sad that China is still lagging behind in human rights. He also said that this is not a good image for China. China is trying to portray itself as part of the international community and say that they will play by the international rules. This incident has hampered the image of China in the international community. There was no apology from the Chinese government for the bloodshed at Tiananmen Square in 1989. The Chinese authorities gunned down thousands of people as the students rebelled for democracy.

Since then rebellion incidents have been part of the Chinese history but they were based on labour and land. However, incidents like snatching land and building power plants are provoking the people. The press has no freedom in China, there are no elected representatives as there is no democratic rule. Therefore the only method left for these people is to take to the streets.

It was embarrassing for the Chinese government as the protest took place barely 120 miles from Hong Kong. Thousands of delegates are in Hong Kong for the the World Trade Meeting. Analysts say that since delegates from various countries have gathered in Hong Kong, they might be interested in what is happening in China. This incident has opened a brutal face of China to the outside world. People asking for compensation are facing the bullets.