Rattled Chinese Communist Party chiefs asked to enter the south coastal village to discuss an end to the week-long stand off with villagers but were refused.
Wukan residents are in open revolt after the death of their main anti-corruption protester, Xue Jinbo in police custody ten days ago.
"Leaders at a higher level of local government summoned me for talks. They said they would come to the village as they know I will not leave. But I told them that until they release Xue's body, and the four other villagers held in custody, and to give back our land, there can be no talks," said village representative Lin Zuluan.
For the first time since the death of Xue, the residents took a break from protesting.
Instead, Lin and other village representatives began planning a march on the nearby administrative town of Lufeng to demand back the body of Mr Xue and those in custody.
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Wukan siege: rebel Chinese villagers reject resolution talks - Telegraph
After months of protests in the village of Wukan in Guangdong province, which started on Sept. 21, the situation escalated this weekend when one of the protest leaders died in custody. Authorities have blockaded the village in an attempt to control the situation while a solution is worked out. As China’s economy slows dissatisfaction grows proportionately and we expect even more incidents in the future.
Reports on Dec. 14 indicate the village cadres — many of whom left Wukan in November as the protests continued and are now suspected of violating discipline —are being held by the Lufeng City Commission.
A common tactic in these protests is to seek provincial or central government intervention. The slow reaction to the protests only lead to an escalation, which is now trying to be redressed with both a show of force and some sort of conciliation to villager demands.
The protests in Wukan began months ago when the Fengtian Livestock company and Country Garden collaborated to use disputed land for development. The villagers claimed the land for their agricultural uses.
This is just one of many protests involving land grabs that have been heightened over the past few years as a result of China’s real estate boom and urbanization, which local governments rely on to boost their incomes.
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Three Reasons Why China's Wukan Protests Are Totally Unprecedented - Business Insider
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