China arranges funeral for Wukan villager whose death sparked revolt

“We went to the mortuary in Shanwei, our family, close relatives and
friends,” said Xue Jianwan, 21, his daughter. “I did not look when
my father was changed into his burial clothes, and even if I had, I would
not have been able to see his bruises because the body had turned very dark
after all this time.

“I only want to say we are relieved that my father’s body is now in the
ground and we can have some closure.”

Zhang Jianxing, 21, a friend of the family, said the body had not been “returned”
to the family. “We were allowed to visit him in the mortuary. He was
well-dressed and made up. His eyes were tightly closed, and his mouth was
open.

“We then held a memorial in the village, to which 1,000 people came.

“His name has been cleared of any wrongdoing.”

Wukan has never held an election before and the concessions won by the
villagers are a rare victory. Wang Yang, the party secretary of Guangdong
province, has said the case may prove to be a template for the reform of
village governance throughout the province.

Meanwhile, in Panhe, a village in Zhejiang that has also protested against its
land being sold away by corrupt officials.

Panhe is being compared to Wukan, but when Remko Tanis, a journalist from the
Netherlands Press Association, tried to visit he was set upon by thugs,
according to a statement from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China.

When contacted Friday, villagers in Panhe said they had resolved their
differences with the local government and declined to comment on what had
happened.

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