15 mail bombs kill seven, injure 51 in southern China

[jimmy olsen]

How can a bombing campain like this be a simple criminal act rather than terrorism? 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/parcel-bombs-kill-three-injure-30-in-southern-china/6818270

Parcel bombs kill seven, injure 51 in southern China

By Bill Birtles, wires

Updated about 9 hours ago

A series of explosions from 15 mail parcels have killed seven people in southern China yesterday.

Police described the blasts, which injured 51 people on the eve of China's national day, as a "criminal case", ruling out a "terrorist act".


I walked outside to see what had happened and was almost hit by a falling window from the third floor.

Witness, Li Acheng

They said a 33-year-old local suspect had been arrested — named as M Wei who lived in the town of Dapu in the county — but gave no immediate explanations regarding his motive.

Local media reports said there were 13 explosions at various locations, including government offices, in the rural county of Liucheng in the Guangxi region, the Nanguo Morning News, a local newspaper, cited police as saying.

The blasts occurred throughout the afternoon, upturning cars and causing part of a large building to collapse.

A local government building, a prison, a hospital and a bus stop were among the areas targeted.

Images posted online by social media users show parts of a building collapsed and cars upturned by the impact.

Authorities confirmed the blasts were from courier-delivered parcels, and issued a public safety alert, warning residents not to open packages.

One witness told the South China Morning Post he was sitting in his shop when one of the blasts occurred.

"Some windows in my shop broke. I walked outside to see what had happened and was almost hit by a falling window from the third floor," Li Acheng, 30, said.

"I saw half of a building nearby collapse.

"We were all very shocked and thought it might be an act of terrorism. All shops were closed and the town is under curfew with police guarding every street ... it was very scary with so many attacks in just over an hour."

Another witness, who had gone to fetch his daughter from school recounted how he saw a scooter explode in front of the neighbouring hospital.

The father, carrying his crying child in his arms, then witnessed two more explosions in front of the gynaecological and disease control centres.

"We saw a passerby who had been hurt in the arm, moaning on the pavement," he told Chinese news portal Sina.

Since the blasts, about 60 "suspicious" packages have been reported to the authorities and are being examined, according to Liucheng police, highlighting the general anxiety sparked by the letter bombs.

Guangxi has not traditionally been one of the China's restive provinces.

In recent years several disgruntled Chinese citizens have bombed local government offices and public places to try to draw attention to their grievances.

Explosives are relatively easy to come by, as they find wide use in China's large mining industry.

In 2013 a man set off a series of home-made bombs packed with ball-bearings outside a provincial government headquarters in northern China, killing at least one person and wounding eight.

Xinhua said at the time he sought to "take revenge on society".

The same year a street vendor set fire to a bus in east China's Fujian province, killing himself and nearly four dozen passengers in an act of retaliation against local authorities.

Legal paths for pursuing justice in China are limited, as courts are subject to political influence and corruption. Citizens who lodge complaints against authorities often find themselves being detained.

Authorities maintain tight control over public security in the one-party state and place huge importance on maintaining social order.