China’s military allegedly deployed armored tanks to the streets of Henan province in recent days to block protesters from gathering outside local banks and demanding access to millions of dollars in deposits unceremoniously frozen in April, Asian News International (ANI) reported on Thursday.
“Fresh videos have surfaced online in which Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA’s) tanks can be seen deployed on the streets [of Henan province] to scare protestors. Large-scale protests are being held in the province by bank depositors over the release of their frozen funds,” the Indian news agency reported on July 21.
“As per the reports the tanks were out on the streets to protect the banks and prevent locals from reaching the banks,” ANI relayed.
The news agency did not disclose details of the alleged tank rollout, such as where in Henan province the tanks deployed or when the incident occurred.
India’s Firstpost news website published two eyewitness video clips on Thursday that appeared to have captured the alleged tank deployment in Henan.
Roughly 1,000 people gathered outside a local branch of China’s central bank in Henan’s capital, Zhengzhou, on July 10. The protesters demanded that the bank release millions of dollars in deposits that it froze without explanation in April. Security personnel and local police officers responded to the rally with a heavy hand, reportedly using physical force to suppress the demonstration.
Reuters published video footage of the July 10 protest showing protesters standing outside the Zhengzhou branch of the People’s Bank of China while holding banners that read, “No deposit, no human rights” and “Against the corruption and violence of the Henan provincial government.”
The footage additionally captured skirmishes breaking out between demonstrators and security personnel. Authorities attempting to quell the rally urged the crowd to disperse via stern loudspeaker announcements. Reuters reported that officials read out the following message, “Your actions have been deemed as illegal. Leave in 10 minutes. If you do not heed instructions from staff on site, if you do not leave and if you continue to disrupt society, the police will take stern action.”
Multiple participants in the July 10 protest told the Associated Press on July 12 that “some people were hospitalized after being hurt when police and plainclothes security officers used force to disperse the protesters, though most of the injuries were scrapes or cuts.”
The Chinese central bank’s decision to freeze millions of dollars in deposits across several rural branches in Henan in April has affected hundreds of people, many of whom had attempted to withdraw their funds from the banks over the past three months. The bank clients’ failure to successfully reclaim their deposits prompted the organized rally outside the Zhengzhou branch of the People’s Bank of China on July 10.