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    December 31, 2011

China Says Land Protesters Had Valid Complaints

   VOA News
   Protesters march during one of their rallies in Wukan village (file
   photo)
   Photo: AP
   Protesters march during one of their rallies in Wukan village (file
   photo)

   China's official news service is reporting that residents of a southern
   village, who protested for weeks about land grabs, had valid
   complaints.
   Tensions first flared in Guangdong province's Wukan village in
   September, when residents began protesting what they viewed as illegal
   land grabs and local government corruption.
   The official Xinhua news agency on Saturday quoted Guangdong provincial
   investigators who said that a livestock company, Lufeng Fengtian
   Livestock Products, used more land than was officially approved.
   Another business, Guangdong Yidazhou Group, was behind with its land
   payments to villagers.
   Investigators also said that Xue Chang, former secretary of the village
   party committee, embezzled money to buy a vehicle for personal use.
   Earlier this week, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned government
   officials they must protect farmers' land rights and give them a much
   larger share of the profits when their land is taken over for
   development.
   China has been unsettled in recent months by a series of localized
   protests over such issues as corruption, land seizures and
   pollution-spewing factories. In many cases, authorities have given in
   to the protesters, whose causes were widely publicized through social
   media.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.

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