Published by: World Tibet Network News, 96/04/01 23;00 GMT

BEIJING, April 1 (Reuter) - China halved last year the number of highwaymen who plague its roads but has seen a recent resurgence in the extortion of money from motorists under the guise of road tolls, the China Daily said on Monday.

Vice-Premier Wu Bangguo has issued a renewed call at a nationwide conference for a tougher crackdown on the highway robbers, the newspaper said.

Authorities shut down 6,745 illegal road toll booths in 1995, cutting their numbers by half, Wu said.

But problems began to crop up again this year, he said.

The illegal levies must be virtually eliminated by the end of this year, he ordered.

The extortionists, often employees of official organisations such as taxation or quarantine authorities, erect booths on roads to collect illicit tolls from drivers or to impose unwarranted fines.

"Halting misconduct on the roads is crucial to achieving a turn for the better in the work style of the Chinese Communist Party and the government," Wu was quoted as saying.

Drivers have reported tolls of more than 1,000 yuan ($120.48) and say they risk being beaten up or robbed if they refuse to pay.

On one particularly notorious stretch of road on the way to Tibet, 15 toll stations were found within 110 km (68 miles) last year with tolls ranging from several hundred yuan to 1,000 yuan.