Update | Detained village chief at centre of land grab protests urges fellow residents to ‘do what is right’
Tensions continue to escalate in southern China’s Wukan after local leader Lin Zuluan is detained on suspicion of bribery, with fresh rallies planned for Tuesday
The village chief at the centre of protests over land seizures in southern China called on locals to do what they think is right even as authorities urged them to refrain from petitioning.
Tensions in the fishing village of Wukan in Guangdong province are running high as villagers consider how to win the release of Lin Zuluan, the local Communist Party secretary.
PROTESTS ENTER SECOND DAY
Lin was detained by police in the early hours of Saturday on suspicion of corruption, after he called on villagers to air their grievances over unresolved land disputes.
A statement released by Lufeng prosecutors on Monday said Lin had allegedly pocketed significant bribes through contracting out infrastructure projects. “Such behaviour is in breach of laws related to bribery,” the statement said.
But the villagers say Lin is innocent and plan to stage a rally on Tuesday to demand his release.
Zhong Wenguan, deputy mayor of Lufeng, said about 85 per cent of illegally seized land had been returned to Wukan villagers and the city government would follow up villagers’ claims over an area about 110,000 square metres.
