China's cable firms fight deadly turf war

Thu May 30 04:54:36 UTC 2002

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-311460,00.html

China's cable firms fight deadly turf war
>From Oliver August in Shanying
May 30, 2002

"CLAD in a blue China Telecom jacket proclaiming We protect the nations
cables, Hao Dawei sets off at sunrise from his parents mudbrick home in
Shanying to ride his motorcycle along the route of his state-owned
companys main cable to Beijing, 300 miles to the west.

On the road to Huairen he finds 100 workers digging a trench right on top
of the China Telecom line. He jumps off his bike. Stop immediately, he
shouts. You'll cut our cable. The gang glare at him. Hao Dawei knows the
type. They work for one of the many rival telecom companies who are laying
their own cables. He calls for backup, but the five colleagues who arrive
within minutes are no match for the workers. Soon 20 of them are beating
the 26-year-old patrol rider as a crouches in the grass. His colleagues
flee and he ends up in hospital having stitches in his head."