Wukan residents, in Guangdong, whose struggles made global headlines in 2011, in new stand-off with 400 police as Lin Zuluan held on suspicion of corruption…The arrest by Chinese police…has been condemned by residents as a “thuggish” attempt by officials to halt a mass protest against continuing abuses…

Prosecutors in Lufeng city…said…that he was being held on suspicion of taking bribes…Lin’s wife…has condemned his arrest, saying: “I don’t believe he would take any bribe. “Lin was directly elected as village party secretary [in 2011] and in the five years since then has refused any payment for doing the job. “He has even subsidised the running of the village committee himself…”

The village is planning a mass protest this week against what residents claim are continuing illegal land grabs. Residents claim that a variety of individuals, companies and property developers have stolen more communal land – possibly with political backing…

Lin – also a village leader during the 2011 protest – had said in a prepared speech…last week, that the people of Wukan were “prepared to pay a higher price” than five years ago, in order to air their grievances against the inaction of the upper levels of governments over the land issue…So far city officials have given villagers no explanation for their actions, or provided Lin’s family with any official documents over his arrest.