Beijing: Around 130 PLA veterans arrested for protesting over resettlement concerns

Beijing Police recently detained 137 People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans who were demanding the relocation issue to be solved. They were protesting against the Military Affairs Departments of the provinces. Veterans' resettlement concerns demobilised troops finding work in government institutions and state-owned businesses. In China, there are approximately 57 million veterans.

When the protestors attempted to congregate in front of Beijing's Central Military Commission (CMC) Petitioning Bureau on September 13, police arrested them on allegations of 'illegal assembly,' ANI reported. More than 200 PLA veterans had travelled from all over China to take part in the demonstration. However, many of them were 'intercepted' before reaching the Petition Bureau, according to ANI.

Veterans have staged a number of protests since 2012, demanding that their relocation issue be resolved. Veterans who travel to Beijing to seek restitution for their problems are also known to be 'intercepted' by Chinese provincial officials. The use of law and order by Beijing to suppress anti-government protests has been a common occurrence in recent years.

The Chinese Communist Party's crackdown has affected not only PLAs, but also a vast number of pro-democracy groups from Hong Kong, Tibetans, and Taiwanese. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has enacted new rules prohibiting cadres from expressing their own beliefs or dissenting viewpoints within the party. The amended rule book also directs cadres to lodge complaints about their superiors, although they are barred from expressing them in public, according to several media outlets. In the meantime, cadres are forbidden from voicing viewpoints that contradict the central leadership's decisions.

China deploys unmanned planes and ballistic missiles to combat the impacts of the 'one-child army'

In a recent development, unmanned planes and ballistic missiles are more likely to be added to a 'one-child army' with low soldier morale. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has unwittingly exposed the country's military's flaws. The construction of facilities for firing new intercontinental ballistic missiles in an interior desert region was one indicator. The other was a series of new efforts to encourage childbirths, including initiatives to help decrease the high cost of child education.

Behind these changes is indication that the country is concerned about troop morale and the military's capacity to fight a long-term war.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: AP