Thousands of villagers in Shunde , Guangdong, yesterday clashed with riot police who came to rescue officials trapped inside a warehouse by the protesters.
Residents of Sanzhou village, who have been protesting for months against alleged land grabs and corruption by local authorities, suddenly surrounded the warehouse on Wednesday while dozens of government officials and foreign guests were holding an inauguration ceremony for the building.
Hundreds blockaded the entrance with debris, stones and wooden boards. They said the warehouse was built on land that had been seized by the local government and sold to the developer.
The villagers initially refused to let the officials and dozens of guests from Thailand, Germany, Britain and Hong Kong leave. They demanded the officials investigate the deal and punish corrupt village chiefs, according to one villager. Later they let the guests leave but still held a few local government officials hostage.
About 1,000 riot police arrived at 10am yesterday and tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas, the villager said. They eventually managed to escort the officials out of the building.
But protesters refused to leave and continued to clash with the police. It was not clear last night if any arrests had been made. 'There are about 4,000 to 5,000 people this morning. We have been protesting against corruption for many months and we are very determined,' the villager said.
