Shenzhen (AsiaNews/SCMP) – Police in the city of Jieyang (Guangdong province) are hunting for suspects who allegedly incited a large-scale riot last week during a protest against alleged overcharging for bridge tolls. Jieyang's Public Security Department called on those involved to turn themselves in. Five people were arrested at the scene and 12 more were detained later.

During the riot, thousands of residents set fire to a toll-bridge office and pelted police officers and fire-fighters with stones. At least one protester, said to be a teenage boy, was killed. A score of others, including seven fire-fighters, were injured.

The riot broke out at about 9 pm last Wednesday after a local woman quarrelled with toll collectors, claiming she had been overcharged. According to some witnesses, the woman was beaten up by toll-booth staff. Upon hearing the news, hundreds of residents surrounded the toll-bridge office, broke into it and stripped it of all valuables. They then poured diesel fuel on the building and set it on fire.

According to the Jieyang Daily, a crowd of 20,000 residents watched the riot blocking the road.

One of the two fire trucks that arrived to battle the blaze knocked down the teenager killing him instantly. At that point, residents began pelting fire-fighters—who had started to put out the flames—with stones. Authorities called in more than 1,000 public security officers to disperse the crowd, but they did not manage to quell the disturbance until some hours later. The arrested residents are being held at a local police station for further questioning.

Meanwhile, a clash last Wednesday in Weimo village (Xianshan County, Yunnan province) saw more than 200 residents brawl with local police. The Yunnan Information Post reports that it all began with a minor traffic dispute. Local resident Zuo Wei refused to give way to police officer Lu Xiong's motorcycle. Another local resident, Jiang Shanwei, then entered the fray. The police officer eventually fired four shots and killed the other two.

Such violence is a sign of rising social tensions in China. Every day there are reports of demonstrations, disorders and clashes with law enforcement forces. Violence is often sparked by minor incidents as people are increasingly fed up with government corruption, unjust taxes, job loss and poverty.