BOXED-IN REBELLIONS (via Kevin Whited):

Wave of Social Unrest Continues Across China: Officials report 39,000 protests in the first half of 2006, down from '05 but still a key concern (Ching-Ching Ni, August 10, 2006, LA Times)

When Beijing began to announce protest figures in recent years, the statistics were surprisingly high. Last year, the government reported 87,000 cases of public disturbances, up 6.6% from the previous year and up 50% from 2003, when the figure stood at 58,000.

Although some critics believe the true numbers are higher, the statistics were enough to make authorities sit up and take notice.

"The government would rather not publicize these numbers," Munro said. "But they are so alarmed by the protests, they felt compelled to issue them as a wake-up call, especially to local government officials, telling them you must do something about this issue and not focus simply on economic goals."

It was not immediately clear why the number of protests for the first half of this year reportedly had gone down. Observers point out that Chinese government statistics are notoriously unreliable and officials are prone to manipulating numbers to suit their needs. Because no information was given on what constituted public protests, their size or their purpose, it was difficult to determine the accuracy of Wednesday's report.

Even though much of the social unrest probably goes unreported, especially protests in remote regions, critics of the communist government note that the 39,000 official incidents in six months still suggest a high level of public dissatisfaction percolating under the surface of China's economic boom.

Illegal land grabs are a major source of tension. In December, paramilitary police opened fire on villagers in southern China's Guangdong province who were protesting what they said was insufficient compensation for land appropriated for a new power plant. The government said three villagers were killed.

Labor unrest also appears to be increasing among laid-off state workers in the cities and rural migrants working for private companies. In July, more than 1,000 factory workers making toys for McDonald's and other international companies rioted in southern China over low pay and poor living conditions, according to labor rights groups.

The dire state of China's environment also has been a rallying point for residents across the country tired of drinking tainted water, breathing filthy air and eating poisoned crops.

Last year, villagers in one coastal region were so angered by contamination from nearby chemical plants they said were killing their crops and sickening their children that they rioted and clashed with police, overturning and smashing cars.