The protest started on July 14 when thousands in Jiangsu province's Suzhou city gathered at the government headquarters of Tong'an town, Caijing magazine reported on its website.

They were calling for the government to address their suspicions that some officials had siphoned off money that was owed to people whose property had been demolished to make way for new buildings, it said.

Faced with a negative response from government leaders, some residents smashed up equipment in the building and occupied the office over the next two days, according to the report.

On Friday evening, residents clashed with riot police, some protesters were injured and others were taken away. The next day, thousands assembled on a highway and blocked traffic, but were later dispersed by police, it added.

Protesters returned on Sunday, their ranks swelled to 10,000. They also dispersed, the report said.

A resident who contacted AFP by phone, who refused to be named for fear of reprisals, said: "A lot of people have been injured and taken away."

Neither the government or police in Tong'an were immediately available for comment and it was unclear if the protests continued on Monday.

China has seen a rash of violent clashes over land recently, many sparked by forced evictions as officials and property developers seek to cash in on a soaring real estate market.

The government, which views social unrest as a major threat to the nation's stability, has responded by calling for authorities to take steps to cool the property market.

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