July 27, 2009
Thousands of workers of a state-owned steel maker Tonghua Steel in Tonghua, Jilin Province went on strike in protest at the acquisition of the company by a Beijing-based private company called the Jianlong Group. The protest went awry when the angry mob surrounded and turned violent against Chen Guojun, the executive of the Tonghua Steel appointed by Jianlong on July 22.
According to a report in today’s Beijing News, Chen demanded the workers resume work, which infuriated them even further. Chen received punches and kicks from the protesters and some people threw water bottles and stools at him and would not let him leave. One worker said that someone beat Chen with heavy boots worn by steel workers and shoved him off the stairs. Another worker put the time of of Chen’s death at around six pm on the 24th. “There were medics and police who tried to force their way into the crowd (to reach Chen) but were pushed back.”
Around nine o’clock the same night, Tonghua Steel made an announcement on a local TV station stating that the provincial government had ordered Jianlong to withdraw from the acquisition. The crowd dispersed around ten. The factory, after 11 hours of suspension, resumed production at midnight.
- The Beijing News (Chinese): General manager of Tonggang was beaten to death in the conflict caused by company reorganization