Chinese troops surround protesting village

The standoff in Wukan village in Guangdong province in China continues. It is the latest expression of rural discontent in the rapidly- transforming nation, where land is being swallowed up by breakneck urban and industrial development.

Villagers have set up roadblocks, but find themselves surrounded by security forces who want to contain the protests over land seizures and the death in police custody of one of their activists.

Police say a heart attack took the life of 42 year-old Xue Jinbo, but villagers suspect his body has not been returned for burial because it bears the marks of a beating. They want the national government to intervene.

The local authorities say a handful of Communist party members and officials accused of misdeeds have been arrested, and the main development project has been suspended. In the meantime protesters carry banners reading “Jinbo dies for saving farmland.”

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