Protesters freed after fight against fees

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-10 13:34

Police yesterday released some residents of Swan Bay community, detained on Sunday for blocking Chaoyang Beilu with their cars in a protest against community parking fees.

The protest was ignited by the launch of a parking fee by the Swan Bay property management company at the beginning of the month. Monthly fees of up to 1,000 yuan for underground parking were asked for, as advertised in posters throughout the community.

A woman surnamed Li who participated in Sunday's protest told METRO: "We know parking cars on the street is illegal, but we don't have another choice."

Throughout Sunday, residents in Swan Bay community took turns to park their cars in the center of the street, hoping to draw public attention to their cause.

"The parking fees they asked for are unbelievably high and we can not afford them," Li said.

Nearly 80 police officers were dispatched to the community. Failing to persuade residents to leave, the police detained residents for disrupting the social order, a police inspector surnamed Gao from Pingfang police station told METRO yesterday.

Gao said there were around 200 residents and onlookers on Sunday.

"We have released some of the residents, but the rest of them are still under investigation," Gao added.

Police refused to reveal the total number of residents detained, but members of the community say the figure could exceed 20.

Other residential zones near Swan Bay community already charge between 300 and 500 yuan per month for community parking.

An official at the price complaint hotline told METRO yesterday there is no fixed price for inside parking lots in Beijing. He said parking fees should be agreed between residents and their property companies.

A worker at the Swan Bay property management company said the parking fees had been set by Bocheng Real Estate Development Company, the owners of the community.

Phone calls made to Bocheng yesterday said manager Lin Huiming was not in Beijing.

The luxurious property, located along the popular Chaoyang Beilu, is currently valued at 23,000 yuan per sq m.