Villagers also alleged that the authorities had "enlisted thugs from local organized crime groups to help put down the demonstration" in addition to regular security forces.
It was also reported that on 9 December, many residents held incense sticks and knelt in front of police barricades in the subdistrict, asking for the bodies of their loved ones for proper burial.
[2] On 11 December 2005, the Chinese government announced that a police commander was detained for mishandling the protest and causing deaths and injuries.
In June 2006, The New York Times reported that 19 residents had been prosecuted for the unrest, 7 being given long sentences for disturbing public order and using explosives against the Police.
[6] Shortly after, a similar event took place at another village in Guangdong, where residents attempted to detain officials in a dispute over compensation for loss of farm land.
[7] Clearly the events in Dongzhou are not an isolated case but part of an ongoing wave of protests against land grabs in China,[8][9] which Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has acknowledged is a "historic error".