Chinese Police Reopen Investigation Into Girl's Death After Huge Protests

Chinese police have reopened an investigation into the death of a teenage girl after rumors of a cover-up sparked a riot and huge protests in south-west China at the weekend.

Officials accused gangsters and others with ulterior motives of whipping up local residents' anger, warning that such offenders faced strict punishment.

The state news agency, Xinhua, said yesterday around 30,000 people took part in the riot in Weng'an county, Guizhou province. Government offices and police vehicles were set alight.

The protests followed the death of Li Shufen, whose body was pulled from a river on June 22. Her relatives allege she was raped and murdered by a group of men one of whom is related to a senior local official, but the police ruled that she had committed suicide.

Passions became further inflamed after the girl's uncle Li Xiuzhong was badly beaten in the street by unidentified men, following his confrontations with the police. His current whereabouts are unknown, following his transfer from the county hospital.

The speed with which the allegations spread appears to reflect underlying distrust of local officials, as well as the growing use of the internet to share complaints and spread rumors. While censors removed many postings rapidly, accounts of Li Shufen's death and a video and photographs of the subsequent protests could still be found online.

In an unusually comprehensive account of the case, Xinhua quoted several critics of the local government yesterday, including Li's grandmother Lu Xiuzhen, who said: "I demand the government thoroughly investigate the incident and give us a justifiable explanation."

It quoted a vice-chief of the county, Xiao Song, as saying a preliminary investigation had found no links to relatives of local officials. He said the provincial government had sent 10 criminal investigators and forensic experts to reinvestigate the death.

Yesterday's edition of the province's official paper, the Guizhou Daily, had reported that the family were "too emotionally unstable" to accept the results of the "careful investigation according to the law".

The Associated Press news agency reported a heavy paramilitary police presence in Weng'an today, with squads in riot helmets patrolling the streets and loudspeakers blaring appeals for rioters to turn themselves in.

Visiting the area, the provincial party boss Shi Zongyuan told Xinhua: "The incident started from a simple cause but was used and incited by very few people with ulterior motives, and some gangsters took part.

"We must put maintaining social harmony and stability on the top of our agenda."

He added that minor offenders would be only cautioned.

Xinhua said 20 vehicles were burnt in front of the Weng'an county government building during the riot, and sections of the building were gutted by fire. It said 20 policemen and 30 protesters were injured in the violence.

The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, based in Hong Kong, said Chinese authorities had detained 300 people in connection with the riot.

While Beijing has repeatedly stressed the need to root out corrupt officials, the authorities are highly sensitive to the risk of unrest spreading. The Guizhou incident comes at an especially sensitive time, since officials have emphasized the need to keep order as the Beijing Olympics approach. President Hu Jintao and top security officials have issued instructions on handling the case of Li Shufen, the state media reported.