Beijing urges rethink on protests

By Louisa Lim
BBC, Beijing

Protests are becoming increasingly common

China's security chief has called on officials to pay more attention to people's grievances.

Politburo member Luo Gan, in charge of internal security, made the comments after a series of violent protests exposing growing public discontent.

Official statistics say more than three million people took part in protests last year.

China's leaders are struggling to find a strategy to deal with the growing unrest.

These comments by Politburo member Luo Gan serve as an order to government departments to re-examine how they deal with grievances.

RECENT PROTESTS Oct: Tens of thousands of farmers riot over dam project in Sichuan Oct: At least 7 killed in clashes between Hui and Han groups over traffic accident Nov: Riot after dispute at bridge toll booth in Guangdong China's minority fears

The China Daily quotes Luo Gan as saying that protests must be dealt with in line with the law and that the police and judiciary should prevent social conflicts.

The newspaper editorial also points out that more than 80% of people's grievances are reasonable and should be handled properly so they do not become a source of instability.

At least five violent large-scale demonstrations have broken out in the last few months, mostly sparked by seemingly minor grievances.

Rampant corruption and the growing gap between rich and poor are breeding growing discontent across the country, and people with grievances are taking ever more drastic action to draw attention to their complaints.