THE Yantian People s Court has sentenced four container truck drivers to 18 months in prison for inciting other drivers to block roads in Yantian District in June.
The four men gathered more than 100 truck drivers and their family members on the night of June 1, who then walked to Mingzhu Road in front of China Overseas Logistics Co. to demand pay rises, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.
Under the encouragement of the four, the protesters stopped all container trucks moving in and out of Yantian Port via the road and demanded drivers join the protest and block the road.
Around 700 vehicles jammed nearby roads including Yantian Road and Hong an Road 2, the paper said.
The blockade lasted into the early hours of June 2 when police arrived to disperse the protesters.
One of the four men convicted, identified only as Chen, attacked police who tried to dissuade the protesting drivers..
The four went on to organize another protest involving 50 container truck drivers at a residential property in Yantian, the paper said.
The four were detained on charges of disrupting traffic.
They are planning to appeal their convictions.
(Martin Li)
