BEIJING, April 26 -- Shanghai prosecutors have approved the arrests of 16 suspects they believe were involved in an anti-Japanese demonstration on April 16, accusing them of disturbing the social order, authorities said yesterday.

    Another 26 people were punished by being placed in short-term detention, officials said.

    Some 20,000 Shanghai residents participated in anti-Japanese demonstrations across the city on April 16.

    "Dissatisfied with Japan's wrong attitudes and actions on a series of issues such as its history of aggression, the students and citizens spontaneously took to the streets to demonstrate and protest, expressing their discontent with the right-wing forces in Japan," Shanghai government spokeswoman Jiao Yang said in an earlier interview.

    While most of the participants were peaceful, a few threw rocks and engaged in other destructive actions.

    One suspect, Hunan Province native Li Bichun, allegedly threw beer bottles at Japanese restaurants and stores on Gubei Road in Changning District.

    Zhang Jianyong, a suspect from Hubei Province, was arrested for allegedly climbing on top of a building and tossing stones and bottles at Japanese bars and shops.

    "I regret my behavior very much," said Zhang. "I should not have broken the law."

    Among the other suspects was university physical education teacher Yin Xiufeng, who was accused of inciting others to break through a police line and damage signposts and bars on Xianxia Road in Changning District.

    "I let down my university, my teachers as well as my students," Yin said. "I hope others can learn a lesson from me."
The investigation into the illegal behavior during the demonstration is continuing, police said.

    They warned those involved in illegal activities to surrender to police as soon as possible, and they asked residents to provide information on those who committed violent acts.

    The city traffic authority will be placed on alert during the upcoming Labor Day holiday, focusing on densely populated areas such as main roads, commercial centers and transport stations, to respond to any emergency that arises, a local traffic official told Oriental TV news yesterday.

    Police urged the public not to take part in illegal marches or demonstrations and not to encourage such activities through Internet or cell phone short messages.

    Police have detained one person in Nanjing for trying to organize an anti-Japanese protest during the Labor Day holiday, Yangzi Evening News reported yesterday.

    The newspaper said the 20-year-old man used a popular chatroom to encourage demonstrations, and he also allegedly threatened to detonate car bombs during the protests.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily news)