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Standing up wins the day for ‘second Wukan”
Residents in Wanggang, the ‘second Wukan’, protest against corrupt local Communist officials over land. Guangzhou deputy mayor meets protests and promises a probe. Doubts remain about such steps. Communist hardliners attack provincial party boss.
Guangzhou (AsiaNews) – Residents have won their fight in Wanggang, a village dubbed a ‘second Wukan’, against corrupt Communist leaders over land grabs. Following two days of protest, Guangdong Provincial authorities have agreed to investigate the village’s property and financial records and put a village party committee election on hold.
About a thousand villagers protested outside the city government's headquarters in Guangzhou, accusing a local Communist Party of leasing out the village's collectively owned land. The village itself is not far from Wukan where residents stood up to the local government until the central government sided with them.
Although not final, the solution in Wukan was approved by Guangdong party secretary Wang Yang, seen as a reformer. However, some experts believe that the more conciliatory approach does not reflect a change in central government policy but rather contingent factors.
In fact, some party hardliners have criticised Wang. His “weakness” in Wukan, they say, is now leading to more protests, pointing to the latest example as evidence.
At the same time, the Wukan “solution” has not yet produced any substantive change. Even the local protest leader, who was appointed the new local party chief, said that he did not know when the land would be returned.
Like in Wukan, land is at the core of the fight in Wanggang, i.e. the taking of collective land for use by private developers without due compensation.
Following protests in Guangzhou, the city’s deputy mayor met demonstrators. He announced a probe into the case with a reply by 19 February.