There May be Trouble in Beijing

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Ever since the neo-Maoist princling Bo Xilai was dismissed from the top Communist Party post in Chongqing, rumours have been circulating of a military coup in Beijing. Asia Times writes

Rumor mills on China's active blogosphere were rife with claims that a military coup had occurred in Beijing, with gunfire, tanks and soldiers on the streets.

They do appear far fetched, and could be easily dismissed as such, if it weren't for the official denial and draconian measures against websites that may have facilitated their spread. In China arrests over
coup rumours BBC reports that

Chinese police have arrested six people and shut 16 websites after rumours were spread that military vehicles were on the streets of Beijing

At the same time electronic communications of Beijing residents appear to be monitored much most strictly than usual, with innocuous emails truncated for no obvious reason. The sheer severity of the official response would indicate that something may indeed be happening, however the information available on the outside is insufficient for a positive conclusion.

(For other WhatIf posts, click here)