BEIJING - Authorities detained 28 people after several thousand farmers rioted to protest fines levied on those who had more children than allowed under China's family-planning policy, state media said yesterday.
Up to 3,000 people were involved in the demonstrations outside government offices last weekend across six towns in the southern Guangxi region, the Xinhua news agency said.
"They verbally abused and attacked government workers and civil police," Xinhua said. "In some cases, the county government office's main gate, its walls, office equipment, documents and archives were damaged. A few people burned and damaged cars and some motorcycles."
China's family-planning policy - implemented in the late 1970s - limits most urban couples to one child and families in some rural areas to two to control population growth and conserve natural resources.