HANOI A wave of apparently well-coordinated protest is sweeping Vietnam's central highlands as the region's ethnic minorities vent their anger at the loss of their lands to Vietnamese settlers, residents said Wednesday.

Thousands of minority protesters have taken to the street's of the region's main towns over the past few days, prompting the authorities to launch a major crackdown, residents told AFP.

Several thousands demonstrators staged a four-day protest in the town of Pleiku over the weekend, while another two thousand demonstrated in the provincial capital of Buon Me Thuot on Tuesday, residents said.

Police were now stopping members of minority groups from leaving their areas of residence but protests were still continuing in the countryside Wednesday.