On May 7, the authorities of Guang'an city, Sichuan province, announced a plan to build a local intercity railway, which will pass the central zone of the city instead of Linshui, a subsidiary county. Some residents of Linshui assembled last week to protest against the plan and the protests escalated into violence. Comments:

A railway line means more economic development opportunities. The Linshui residents have the right to express their pursuit of that. However, they have chosen a bad way to express their desire for the railway, and violent protests will never help them get it. On the contrary, the violence will give the whole nation a negative impression of the county and frighten decision-makers into choosing another route.

scol.com.cn, May 17