【新唐人2012年7月30日訊】江蘇省南通市轄下的啟東市污水排污工程風波，在當局宣佈永久中止工程之後，示威活動有所緩和，民眾表示，市政府附近仍繼續戒嚴。28號當天下午，當局從無錫、蘇州、常州三個地方調去了2萬名軍警，進駐啟東，鎮壓抗議民眾，據傳已經有一百多人被抓，大多數是學生。官方還散佈抗議民眾是「 暴民」的論調，對此，評論認為，這是對「民權運動」的污衊。
《日本共同社》引述江蘇省日資造紙廠「王子造紙公司」母公司的消息說，28號因啟東大規模抗議排污工程而停工的紙業工廠，計劃7月29號恢復生產。
另據微博傳出來的消息，從無錫、蘇州、常州三個地方過來約2萬多名武警和防暴大隊，已經進駐「啟東中學」。截至目前，至少有一百多人被抓，其中大多數都是年輕的學生。據傳有三人死亡，包括一男一女兩名大學生。
7月29號，警方在啟東市內發通告，聲稱按「上級要求」，前一天的示威屬於非法，要嚴厲打擊組織和參加遊行示威的民眾。同時，網絡相關消息已被迅速刪除，各大微博禁止搜索關鍵詞「啟東」。境內外媒體記者被要求所有報導要跟《新華社》通稿保持一致。
啟東學生：「我爸媽都是單位的嘛，他們都要求不能去。我爸媽叫我不要去， 其實我也挺想去的。好像說今天再去就要逮人了，就要抓人了。」
啟東市民強烈反對的排污項目，是日本「王子紙業公司」自2007年開始建設的中國工廠，據報導，這家工廠全面啟動後，每天的污水排放量將達到15萬噸。民眾多次向政府請願沒有結果，最終釀成了這次衝擊市政府大樓的萬人示威。
北京憲政學者陳永苗認為，啟東環保示威出現了幾個在大陸抵抗史上新鮮的元素，如剝光市委書記衣服，給他套上「強烈抵制王子排污」的襯衫，把避孕套，名酒、名煙等內部腐敗，暴露於公共視野之下等。
北京憲政學者陳永苗：「體現了真正的人民的勢力，以前都是喊甚麼對話，那麼我們今天在政治符號上，政治意義上能夠強迫他。我覺得這是在維權運動中出現的一個新的變化。表示我不害怕，我不恐懼你（中共），我能來去自如，我覺得它這種變化隱含了作為一個公民心理的一個變化。他（人民）已經有主動權了。」
另外，與早前四川甚邡反對鉬銅項目一樣，8、90後學生發揮了重要的作用。這次集會就是啟東近萬名中學生通過QQ和社交網站發起的，獲得廣泛響應。
陳永苗：「他們在讀中學的時候，就已經像過去的大學生一樣感覺到巨大的社會壓力，社會的腐敗，不公，或者是社會的三座大山各種因素，實際上已經滲透到他的中學校園裡面了。」
不但啟東民眾強烈反對日資製紙廠的污染項目，當地警察也多私下支持反污染行動。參加遊行的網友28號上午在微博說：「這事想鎮壓的話，只能請外援了」。
在民眾巨大的抗議聲浪面前，28號抗議當天，啟東警方通過微博發佈消息，南通市政府決定永久取消「 南通排海工程」。
啟東民眾取得的勝利引起社會廣泛關注。但也有批判聲音說：民眾是暴民，對此，網友予以怒罵。陳永苗也駁斥說，所有這些「民權運動」都是在捍衛民眾自己的權利，不應該被攻擊和妖魔化。
採訪/李倩倩 編輯/許旻 後製/黎安安
Official Repression Starts Over Qidong Mass Protest
Mass protests against a polluting sewage discharge project
were alleviated in Qidong under Nantong, Jiangsu Province.
This was after local authorities
announced a permanent suspension.
However, martial law still continues around
the city hall, according to local residents.
On July 28, a 20,000 strong police force entered
Qidong from Wuxi, Suzhou, and Changzhou cities.
Sources said that over 100 protesters were
arrested, with the majority being students.
Officials intentionally circulated
descriptions of “mobs” over the internet.
This were refuted as slander of the “civil rights movement,"
according to the comments.
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported production
at a Japanese-owned paper mill in Qidong was suspended.
This occurred on July 28, due to outbreak
of local mass protests against pollution.
Production would be resumed
on July 29, said Kyodo news.
News posted on Chinese micro-blogs revealed
that over 20,000 armed and ranger police are stationed in the Qidong Middle School.
They were dispatched from Wuxi, Suzhou and Changzhou.
At least 100 people were arrested,
with most of them being young students.
According to sources, three were killed, including
one female and one male university student.
On July 29, mass protests staged the day before
were declared illegal by Qidong police authorities.
This instruction was “according
to the higher-level instructions”.
The announcement proclaimed participants involved
in the demonstrations would be severely punishments.
All related online messages have been removed.
The keyword “Qidong” was banned
from being searched on the microblogs.
All Chinese media coverage was required to stay
in line with the script issued by Xinhua News Agency.
Qidong student: “My parents workplace
prohibited their participation.
They also didn’t allow me to attend,
but I actually really want to go.
It was said that people who attend the protest
today would be subject to arrest.”
The focus of the strong public opposition in Qidong
is a plant parented by Japan’s Oji Paper Company.
The factory’s construction was started in 2007, and
its daily discharge will reach 150,000 tones of sewage when fully operational, according to the media reports.
Repeated mass petitions to local
authorities were unsuccessful.
The demonstration, involving tens of thousands
of local residents eventually erupted in the occupation of a government office building.
Chen Yongmiao, a Beijing-based constitutional scholar,
noted there have been changes in Qidong’s mass protest.
This included stripping the clothes off the Party chief;
And the mayor were put on a T-shirt with printed
words “Strong Boycotting Oji Pollution”;
It publicly exposed the condoms, brand-named tobaccos
and liquors that were found in the office building.
Chen Yongmiao: “This protest embodies
the true wisdom of the Chinese people.
In the past, civilians would appeal
for a dialogue with the authorities.
Today, the protesters dared
to confront the officials politically.
I term it a new change in the rights defense movement.
It meant 『I don』t fear you (the CCP)’.
It implies a mentality change in Chinese citizens, I feel.
They have had the initiative.”
Students born in 1980s and 1990s
became the main force of the Qidong protests.
They played the same role as their peers in Shifang’s
mass protest, staged in early July in Sichuan Province.
Nearly 10,000 Qidong high school students initiated
the demonstration through QQ and on social networking sites, gaining extensive responses.
Chen Yongmiao: “These high-school students had
experienced huge social pressures.
These pressures were usually confronted
by university students in the past.
These included such things as corruption,
social injustice, or the burden of paying for education,
medical services, and housing, which have
all penetrated into the reality of their campus life."
Even local police privately supported
the anti-pollution protest.
A local resident confirmed this in his micro-blog.
“The authorities’ crack-down sought police forces from other places.”
Under strong public opposition on July 28, Qidong police
announced in its official micro-blog that Nantong authorities decided to cancel the project permanently.
The victory for Qidong citizens has aroused widespread public concern.
They were also labeled as “the mob” by voices online.
Chen Yongmiao refuted this talk saying that
all these “civil rights movements” were the Chinese people
defending their own human rights, which should not be verbally attacked and demonized.