Chinese Police Beat Protesters Of Vehicle Ban

Riot police charged crowds of demonstrating drivers in southwest China, beating and arresting more than 70 people, a human rights group said Sunday.

Large protests erupted Thursday over new rules banning three-wheeled vehicles from downtown Zigong, a depressed industrial center in Sichuan province, the New York-based Human Rights in China said.

A government spokesman denied protests occurred and said no one was arrested or beaten.

The motorized vehicles are used to haul passengers and goods for money. Many are driven by laid-off workers, and the city’s decision to ban the vehicles threatened their meager livelihoods, the group said. A government spokesman said the bikes were being banned because they cause pollution and traffic jams.