Frozen bank money triggers protests in China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – Videos coming out of China show hundreds of people holding demonstrations against a bank in Central Henan province on Sunday.

Holding protests outside the People's Bank of China in the capital Zhengzhou, the demonstrators alleged their deposits have been frozen by several rural banks.

There has been no word from authorities about millions of dollars deposited by the customers.

The demonstrations were held when the health code of around 1,317 customers of various banks turned red.

“Some depositors of small rural banks, registered in Henan Province and reportedly caught in illegal fundraising, found their health codes turned red for unknown reasons when they tried to arrive in Henan to withdraw their money, prompting suspicions of abuse of the health code system in the province,” state-run daily Global Times said in a report.

Taiwanese media reports said demonstrators were beaten by Chinese cops and plain-clothed security forces.

One of the English-language placards carried by protesters read: "Against the corruption and violence of the Henan government."​​​​​​​