Wukan has new party branch after massive protests

Xinhua, January 16, 2012

A Wukan resident receives interview of media from China and overseas.

Provincial authorities in Guangdong began to look into the protestors' complaints on Dec. 20, and an investigation remains underway.

Investigators announced that the protestors had legitimate complaints against officials over wrongdoing concerning land use and financial management. Also, they said that the village head election in February 2011 was invalid after finding several violations, and that another election would be organized soon.

Only with a re-elected village committee, can villagers' appeals be solved, said Wang Yemin, head of the provincial-level investigation team.

The protestors' wrath was defused in late December after Zhu Mingguo, vice secretary of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, held a direct dialogue with villagers and promised a "fair and open" investigation into the grievances.