No end in sight to stand-off in Guangdong village over land deal

Villagers in Shangpu, Guangdong province, were yesterday still locked in a stand-off with authorities, and were demanding democratic polls after a violent clash with thugs linked to a local official over a land transfer.

Just over a week ago, residents fought with scores of attackers whom they claimed were sent by the village Communist Party chief and a business tycoon after they protested against a land deal.

Now, on the eve of the annual session of the National People's Congress, police are blockading the settlement to outsiders while villagers refuse to let officials inside.

The situation recalls a similar episode in Wukan, also in Guangdong and about 100 kilometres from Shangpu, which made headlines 15 months ago.

At the main entrance of the village of 3,000 people, 40 police and officials stood guard, barring outside vehicles from entering. Not far away, a cloth banner read: "Strongly request legal, democratic elections."

Shangpu's two-storey houses, typical of the region, and low-slung family-run workshops are surrounded by fields awaiting spring planting. But the main street is lined with the wrecks of cars damaged in the clash, with glass and metal littering the ground.