Please no: Petitioners kicked out of Beijing during congress
Staff Reporter 2012-11-15 17:49
Jiangsu police carry out a drill ahead of the party congress. (Photo/CNS)
Petitioners from all around China coming to Beijing to plead their case to the authorities were suspiciously absent from their usual rallying point around Beijing South Railway Station for the duration of the Communist Party's 18th National Congress, which concluded on Wednesday.
Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao reported on Nov. 10 that the petitioners were shooed away by the police, and shops that rely on printing flyers and posters were forced to close during the period of the crucial political event. Hotels which accommodate petitioners were also closed.
Ming Pao said there are usually lots of people in the printing shops on Youanmendongbinhe Road, not far from the city's South Station photocopying flyers and legal documents, and having posters printed with their requests on them.
Petitioners who met at these shops would swap notes and give each other advice. Some even claim to have won their battle against the authorities.
Other people who earn their living by the side of the road were also missing during the congress, including people who help petitioners write letters and even fortune tellers who advise on the best course of action.
A supermarket owner said the authorities ordered the hotels and printing shops to close from the start of the month and they may only reopen after the congress finishes to prevent people from protesting in the streets.
That the party has been paranoid about subversive messages being spread around Beijing on flyers or even ping-pong balls has become a common joke on the Twitter feeds of journalists covering the congress.
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