T.D.N.N.: Police put China village on lockdown amid unrest

Police have sealed off a southern Chinese village and cut food supplies in an attempt to crush an uprising by villagers angered by government land seizures and the death of a man in police custody, residents said Wednesday.

With a booming economy, demand for land to build factories and housing complexes has soared. Land disputes have grown apace, becoming one of the leading causes of the tens of thousands of large-scale protests that hit China every year.

The protests in Guangdong province are part of a growing trend of confrontation between Chinese and their government over the seizure of land for business development projects.

Police started blocking roads leading to Wukan, a fishing village of 20,000 people, late last week and prevented food from being transported in, said Qiu Yankun, a man who owns a shop selling farming tools.

Some food was allowed into the village, located in Shanwei city, starting Monday but police continued to prevent villagers from fishing and supplies are running low, said Qiu, who was reached by phone.

"Nobody dares to leave the village now. If you want to leave, you have to sign your name. We don't know what that means. Most of us are just too scared to go out," Qiu added.