China deploys troops after eastern protests

A human rights group said thousands of Chinese police and paramilitary forces have been mobilised to suppress a new round of protests in the country's east.

The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said the unrest in Taizhou broke out after a village chief was beaten by petrol station employees after he had tried to negotiate an increase in land compensation fees.

The centre said long-simmering resentments over land seizures then boiled over, with thousands of villagers converging on the site.

Crowds continued to gather and roads were blocked today, despite the presence of security forces.

The incident was the third large scale outburst of unrest in recent days, mainly fuelled by anger over abuses by authorities.