Thousands of local residents decided to stop their protest against the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Guangdong province, and went back home after the local government promised to suspend the plan.

At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, villagers from fishing town of Haimen in Shantou City of Guangdong Province blocked the Shenzhen-Shantou expressway in order to protect their hometown. Then police officers were dispatched to maintain order.

The villagers complained that the current power plant had led to a rise in the number of cancer patients, the deterioration of the environment and a drop in fishing hauls.

A protester surnamed Wang said:"The power plant discharges waste water and waste gas, causing pollution in the fish farms and air." For these reasons, local villagers are opposed to local authorities' plans to construct a second power plant, he said.

The Shantou municipal government has decided to suspend the project and report the situation to higher authorities, a spokesperson for the municipal government said late Tuesday.

Government officials arrived at the scene to talk to the villagers, and the protesters had left the expressway by late afternoon. Traffic resumed at 4 p.m.

The local government required protesters to behave in accordance with the law, and said illegal behavior will result in legal liability.

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