the PRC being the PRC

[dead0man]

Reuters

A protest planned by hundreds of bank depositors in central China seeking access to their frozen funds has been thwarted because the authorities have turned their health code apps red, several depositors told Reuters.

The depositors were planning to travel to the central province of Henan this week from across China to protest against an almost two-month block on accessing at least $178 million of deposits, which has left companies unable to pay workers and individuals unable to access savings.

Rights groups have warned China could use its vast COVID surveillance infrastructure to stifle dissent. Without a green code on their smartphone app, citizens lose access to public transport and spaces such as restaurants and malls, as well as the right to travel across the country.

"They are putting digital handcuffs on us," said a depositor from Sichuan province surnamed Chen, who declined to use his full name for fear of government retribution.

<snip>

A man surnamed Liu, who lives in Hubei province, found that his health code turned red on the morning of June 12 after he registered the day before to travel to Henan.

Liu had planned to travel to a protest planned for Monday in the Henan provincial capital Zhengzhou, where he had hoped to get his money back. The protest would have been the latest among numerous such demonstrations in Henan in recent months.

More than 200 depositors were similarly blocked when their health codes turned red, according to members of a WeChat group.

[Lord Halifax]

Reuters

A protest planned by hundreds of bank depositors in central China seeking access to their frozen funds has been thwarted because the authorities have turned their health code apps red, several depositors told Reuters.

The depositors were planning to travel to the central province of Henan this week from across China to protest against an almost two-month block on accessing at least $178 million of deposits, which has left companies unable to pay workers and individuals unable to access savings.

Rights groups have warned China could use its vast COVID surveillance infrastructure to stifle dissent. Without a green code on their smartphone app, citizens lose access to public transport and spaces such as restaurants and malls, as well as the right to travel across the country.

"They are putting digital handcuffs on us," said a depositor from Sichuan province surnamed Chen, who declined to use his full name for fear of government retribution.

<snip>

A man surnamed Liu, who lives in Hubei province, found that his health code turned red on the morning of June 12 after he registered the day before to travel to Henan.

Liu had planned to travel to a protest planned for Monday in the Henan provincial capital Zhengzhou, where he had hoped to get his money back. The protest would have been the latest among numerous such demonstrations in Henan in recent months.

More than 200 depositors were similarly blocked when their health codes turned red, according to members of a WeChat group.

So if you don't own a smartphone you can't use public transport or go to the mall in China? Are smartphones really that ubiquitous? I'd have thought at least many elderly people didn't have smartphones. 

[CumbrianLefty]

So, how is Zero Covid going?

[dead0man]

So, how is Zero Covid going?

it's going so well they have to quarantine people that don't even have Covid!

[Person Man]

Well, if this happens here because of abortion or anything else, at least we have guns.

[Samof94]

So, how is Zero Covid going?

it's going so well they have to quarantine people that don't even have Covid!

Like an old man sneezing?

[dead0man]

So, how is Zero Covid going?

it's going so well they have to quarantine people that don't even have Covid!

Like an old man sneezing?

doesn't even have to sneeze, just wanting access to his own money is enough in Red China.

[2952-0-0]

This specific use of the health code to shut down a protest by bank depositors was so outrageous that even the state media and its party shills had to admit went too far. But, they're quietly rolling out the infrastructure to enable similar measures beyond just a health code. I had previously joked that China is becoming West Korea, but this goes far beyond what North Korea is capable of accomplishing.

[Beet]

This article is from June 16... the government had to do a climbdown from this.

But yeah, as exnaderite mentions, technology will only further enable surveillance and control more and more in the future. This is quite unfortunate.

[Santander]

Borrowing from Trudeau's playbook.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

Borrowing from Trudeau's playbook.

Lol. How?

[dead0man]

the Commies are stepping up their game-CNN

The face-off lasted for several hours until after 11 a.m., when rows of security officers suddenly charged up the stairs and clashed with protesters, who threw bottles and other small objects at them.
The scene quickly descended into chaos, as security officers dragged protesters down the stairs and beat those who resisted, including women and the elderly, according to witnesses and social media videos.
One woman from eastern Shandong province told CNN she was pushed to the ground by two security guards, who twisted and injured her arm. A 27-year-old man from the southern city of Shenzhen, surnamed Sun, said he was kicked by seven or eight guards on the ground before being carried away. A 45-year-old man from the central city of Wuhan said his shirt was completely torn at the back during the scuffle.
Many said they were shocked by the sudden burst of violence by the security forces.
"I did not expect them to be so violent and shameless this time. There was no communication, no warning before they brutally dispersed us," said one depositor from a metropolis outside Henan who had protested in Zhengzhou previously, and who requested CNN conceal his name due to security concerns.
"Why would government employees beat us up? We're only ordinary people asking for our deposits back, we did nothing wrong," the Shandong woman said.

[super6646]

Borrowing from Trudeau's playbook.

Lol. How?

Uhhh... uhhh... because you know he's French which is practically Communist? Also a Liberal so might as well say he's actually Marx reincarnated too.

I'm hardly a Liberal supporter, but there was a lot of restraint shown towards the trucker protesters that would not have been seen in other countries. I can't think of another country that would let fringe protestors occur the capital of said country for almost a month and disturb the peace.

[Flyersfan232]

Any small hope this lead to the ccp finally joining the Soviet Union in hell or is it hopeuim

[The Simpsons Cinematic Universe]

This was pretty controversial and ended up being criticized (I think punished as well) by the  central government.

[dead0man]

This was pretty controversial and ended up being criticized (I think punished as well) by the  central government.

are you responding to the banning people from travel to get their money or are you responding to the plain clothed police brutally beating the sh**t out of people who just want access to their own money?

[2952-0-0]

This was pretty controversial and ended up being criticized (I think punished as well) by the  central government.

are you responding to the banning people from travel to get their money or are you responding to the plain clothed police brutally beating the sh**t out of people who just want access to their own money?

The use of the COVID health code to block people from travelling to protests was criticized. Some fall guys were punished, but make no mistake - this tool is now very convenient.

In an update, the authorities have announced that those depositors who had a total balance of less than 50,000 Yuan (~ $7,400) will receive a full refund. Those who had more than that will have to wait. Since the vast majority of depositors probably had less than that amount, the vast majority of potential troublemakers will have been quietened. But, the small minority with more than that can then be told to take it or leave it. Divide and rule is a very typical tactic when the CCP is confronted by a wave of unrest. Except, the minority, in this case, is still part of the urban middle class; the real wealthy know better than to stash their millions in sketchy rural banks. There are now rumours of other local banks of not just backwater rural nowheres getting into crisis: local banks of large cities such as Nanjing and Shenyang are also reportedly in trouble.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/economy/china-bank-crisis-frozen-deposits-intl-hnk/index.html

A banking and property crisis combined with non-stop lockdowns, as well as his friend in Moscow determined to commit a very elaborate suicide, isn't what Xi Jinping wanted in the months leading up to his re-(s)election, but that's where things are.

All of us around the world had been in awe at the CCP's apparent efficient wizardry for many years, when they were supposedly destined to lead China to world domination. The past three years have revealed that as a mirage, and this banking crisis is just a latest strike against it.

[It’s so Joever]

This was pretty controversial and ended up being criticized (I think punished as well) by the  central government.

are you responding to the banning people from travel to get their money or are you responding to the plain clothed police brutally beating the sh**t out of people who just want access to their own money?

The use of the COVID health code to block people from travelling to protests was criticized. Some fall guys were punished, but make no mistake - this tool is now very convenient.

In an update, the authorities have announced that those depositors who had a total balance of less than 50,000 Yuan (~ $7,400) will receive a full refund. Those who had more than that will have to wait. Since the vast majority of depositors probably had less than that amount, the vast majority of potential troublemakers will have been quietened. But, the small minority with more than that can then be told to take it or leave it. Divide and rule is a very typical tactic when the CCP is confronted by a wave of unrest. Except, the minority, in this case, is still part of the urban middle class; the real wealthy know better than to stash their millions in sketchy rural banks. There are now rumours of other local banks of not just backwater rural nowheres getting into crisis: local banks of large cities such as Nanjing and Shenyang are also reportedly in trouble.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/12/economy/china-bank-crisis-frozen-deposits-intl-hnk/index.html

A banking and property crisis combined with non-stop lockdowns, as well as his friend in Moscow determined to commit a very elaborate suicide, isn't what Xi Jinping wanted in the months leading up to his re-(s)election, but that's where things are.

All of us around the world had been in awe at the CCP's apparent efficient wizardry for many years, when they were supposedly destined to lead China to world domination. The past three years have revealed that as a mirage, and this banking crisis is just a latest strike against it.

China’s economic growth was always going to slow even if everything was done competently, but these past few years really have changed the country forever, and not for the better.

[CumbrianLefty]

All of us around the world had been in awe at the CCP's apparent efficient wizardry for many years, when they were supposedly destined to lead China to world domination. The past three years have revealed that as a mirage, and this banking crisis is just a latest strike against it.

Their stock has certainly fallen recently, even if not as precipitously as Russia's.