Chinese Cabbies Riot Over Fuel, Tickets

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

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.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • AJ AJ on Nov 04, 2008

    Okay, so 800 cab drivers returned to work by Monday afternoon, but how many others are now in slave labor camps? (Ouch!)

  • Flashpoint Flashpoint on Nov 04, 2008

    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 !

  • Dastanley Dastanley on Nov 04, 2008

    Gives new meaning to the term "Chinese Fire Drill".

  • Ricky Spanish Ricky Spanish on Nov 04, 2008

    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).

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