Things must be really, really, really bad if someone goes on strike in China. But striking cabbies striking policemen? Unheard of. Speaking of which: Ever heard of China’s largest municipality? It’s Chongqing, population 31,442,300 (as of 2005, Buddha knows how many today). Yesterday, in Chongqing, the doomsday scenario unfolded. Hundreds of perturbed taxi drivers took to the streets (on foot) and smashed vehicles to protest “shortages of fuel and high fines for traffic violations,” as the official Xinhua News Agency has it. The enraged cabbies gathered on a business street, destroyed 20 vehicles, including three police cars. Scab cab drivers who refused to join the protest were pulled out of their cars, along with the petrified passengers. A spokesman for the Chongqing police bureau confirmed the violence, and said the situation was now “under control.” 800 cab drivers returned to work by Monday afternoon. Downtown Chongqing has 9000 taxis. American car drivers: Don’t try this at home.
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I do remember NYC cab drivers attempting a strike over similar reasons. Not nearly as violent, and not nearly as successful either.
I did manage to make it across midtown in under 15 minutes, which is a new personal best for me.
Keeping in mind that the traditional penalty for such activity in China is death, times must be pretty tough indeed.
Cabbies cant strike in NYC. Most of them belong to Guantanamo Bay, so they are least likely to strike. Last time I was driven by US born cabbie catching taping of Letterman (when he was funny, imagine the time line?)
Okay, so 800 cab drivers returned to work by Monday afternoon, but how many others are now in slave labor camps? (Ouch!)
Why did America invade Iraq?
A: To control expand control of middle eastern oil, choke China and Russia through energy control and to have a first strike position in both Iraq and Afghanistan – AND GUESS WHO IS IN THE MIDDLE !
Gives new meaning to the term “Chinese Fire Drill”.
Airhen – conspicuously, you’ll find 800 cab drivers were striking . . . . yet 1000 “cab drivers” found their way into the forced labor camps I mean re-education camps!
(as an attorney and scholar I did study chinese criminal law and criminal procedure, and have also lived in China – they are allowed, without trial, to send someone to “Re-education” for an unlimited amount of time).