Security squads keep tight grip on Wukan village after protests

Residents in the coastal village of Wukan in Guangdong remained tense on Thursday amid an ongoing police lockdown, with some ­families separated on an otherwise festive day.

Local authorities also stepped up control over reporting out of the village, with five Hong Kong journalists, including one from the South China Morning Post, detained overnight and forced out in the early morning.

Police step up manhunt for Wukan protesters, but governor denies crackdown

Special police have started to withdraw from the village, but ­local police were seen standing guard on every road. During the night, officers marched in formation and patrolled throughout the village.

“Police are still everywhere. It’s very quiet. No one dares to leave their house for fear of being taken away randomly,” a villager said over the phone.

Wukan was rocked when residents clashed with riot police on Tuesday following pre-dawn raids by officers seeking protesters who had been supporting jailed village leader Lin Zuluan. The villagers have been staging a sustained campaign over unresolved land disputes.

Women were being allowed to enter and leave the village on Thursday during daylight hours after their personal identification was checked. But a complete lockdown resumed at nightfall. “The women go to buy food from neighbouring villages more than 10 kilometres away and they buy in bulk,” said a villager in his 40s. He said he was forced to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival without his wife and daughter, who were less than 20km away.