Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
Taxi drivers strike in southern China
By AUDRA ANG AP - 2 hours 44 minutes ago
BEIJING - Hundreds of taxi drivers have been on strike in a southern Chinese city, state media and taxi authorities said Saturday, the latest in a series of similar actions across the country to protest unlicensed competition.
A man who answered the telephone at the Zhenqiao Taxi Company in Shantou, a city in Guangdong province, said taxi drivers overturned several cars _ illegal cabs and taxis that did not participate in the strike _ on Thursday, when the unrest began.
Police led a handful of people away, said the man, who refused to give his name because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The official Xinhua News Agency said 500 striking taxi drivers gathered for two days in a square across from the municipal building.
"Many, many people were involved in the strike," the man at Zhenqiao Taxi said. "Drivers are unhappy about illegal cabs or private cars who use the number plates of legal taxis."
He refused to say if his company was taking part in the strike or give any other details.
Xinhua said local leaders had met with representatives of taxi companies and promised a six-month crackdown on unlicensed cabs.
A man at the Shantou Taxi Management Center, which oversees the city's cabs, said things were slowly returning to normal Saturday. He did not want to be identified because he said he was not authorized to talk to the media.
Telephone calls to the Shantou police and the Shantou government rang unanswered.
The protest came on the heels of a strike in the southwestern city of Chongqing by 9,000 taxi drivers earlier this month over rental fees and fuel shortages.
It also prompted several hundred drivers in other parts of the country to take similar action over unlicensed competition and high fees.
In Shantou, about 100 drivers marched on the streets on Friday, but the demonstration was peaceful because a police convoy followed the protesters, the man at the Shantou Taxi Management Center said.
He said a small group had gathered outside Shantou's municipal government building on Saturday, but that things were generally calm.
Licensed taxis, which had been hard to find two days before, were slowly coming back to the streets, he said. Some drivers had stopped driving for fear that their cars would be targeted for not participating in the strike, he said.
According to him, Shantou has between 1,000 to 2,000 legitimate taxis and hundreds of unlicensed operators.
The unrest highlights the increasing anxiety felt by many workers over their incomes and job security as the Chinese economy slows. News about the global financial crisis and plunging markets is also adding to concerns.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Terror plot mastermind killed by US missile in Pakistan: officialsAFP - 17 minutes ago
Report: North Korea rejects UN rights resolutionAP - 18 minutes ago
Formula One driver Webber 'seriously injured'AFP - 34 minutes ago
Philippine police arrest suspected militantsAP - 52 minutes ago
Tibetan official: 'Middle way' favored by exilesAP - 53 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
Wall Street plunges again as panic spreads
Oil prices slump under $50 per barrel
New strain of deadly Ebola virus discovered
World stocks dive as panic spreads
Somali pirates demand 25 million dollars for Saudi oil tanker
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular