The Chinese government has suspended the hydroelectric dam project in Hanyuan County, Sichuan, following large-scale, violent protests in which two people were reportedly killed. A village party secretary was removed from his post this month, though no official reason was given: “The central government has sent down a work group and it is now dealing with the villagers’ concerns,’ [a village official] told AFP. But the Chinese government has also maintained a strong grip on order by keeping military police in the area. A resident from Jinyan village surnamed Peng said armed police sent to deal with the clashes were still present. ‘They are everywhere, around some villages, there are crowds of them,’ she said. Beijing’s move appears to be an effort to calm social discontent across the country that has resulted in a slew of violent demonstrations in recent weeks. ” The AFP report is here.