South China villagers riot over latest land grab

Villagers carrying clubs and stones rioted Saturday over a land dispute in Guangdong province, Reuters reported, citing Chinese media and a blog post by local police. The riot was set off after local officials in the city of Zhongshan allegedly sold land to export-oriented factories without paying residents compensation. Police had been dispatched to quell the protest and two suspected organizers were taken away. The Zhongshan police office wrote on its Sina (SINA.NASDAQ) microblog, “[Residents of Yilong Village] attacked the Jinrui Industrial Park in Xiaolan Town, and took part in attacking, smashing, looting and arson.” The dispute over a patch of rice paddies had intensified since August to the point that factories had to halt production. The riot follows a September incident in Guangdong province’s Lufeng where villagers rioted in protest of a similar land grab there, damaging government offices in the process.