According to Hong Kong press reports, President Hu Jintao has intervened in the large-scale protests over the building of a hydroelectric dam in Hanyuan County, Sichuan and has ordered work open the dam halted until the relocation issue can be resolved. The Straits Times reports that, “In the edict conveyed by State Council deputy secretary-general Wang Yang on Monday, President Hu and the Premier called on officials to listen to the wide-ranging opinions of the masses and protect the interests of the displaced villagers. It also called upon the farmers to return to their agricultural work and demanded that social order be restored. ” A Straits Times report is here, via China Study Group. A Sun (Taiyang Bao) report in Chinese is here.
Meanwhile, residents said they would resume their protests if work on the dam continued, according to Asia News.
