At least one person was killed and several dozen injured in a mass riot in Hunan province as confrontations between more than 20,000 angry farmers and local police escalated into a bloody crackdown, the South China Morning Post reported. About 20 truckloads of armed forces and 1,700 local police were moved into Zhushan village from other parts of the province on Tuesday night to restore order. Witnesses said anti-riot police attacked protesters with batons and electric prods, and then turned on innocent bus passengers. One junior high school student died in the violence, but no further details were released. Farmers began protesting a fee increase of nearly 100% on tickets for public buses into the city, including an additional charge for extra luggage. The government has said the number of "mass incidents" in the country, including protests, petitions and demonstrations, came to 23,000 in 2006. Read more in the Editors' Blog .
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