I don’t think China ever took responding to the press or foreign inquiries very seriously when it comes to their internal human rights, but this shows almost complete disdain:

SHANGHAI, Jan. 16 – A week of protests by villagers in China’s southern industrial heartland over government land seizures exploded into violence over the weekend, as thousands of police officers brandishing automatic weapons and electric stun batons moved to suppress the demonstrations, residents of the village said Monday.

The residents of the village, Panlong, in Guangdong Province, said that as many as 60 people were wounded and that at least one person, a 13-year-old girl, was killed by security forces. The police denied any responsibility, saying the girl died of a heart attack.

A 13-year-old girl died of a heart attack… Riiiiight. The rest of the article is interesting for a number of reasons. First, Kim Jong Il is visiting that same region of China in a “secret” visit. It’s secret in that the Chinese government hasn’t publicly commented on it, but everyone seems to know it’s happening.