Society

Police release detainees after villagers protest

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-15 22:32

NANNING -- A local government in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Friday reported the release of six villagers, whose detention sparked a violent protest Wednesday that injured several local police officers and officials.

The government of Cangwu county said the six villagers were detained Tuesday because they were protesting a water project and temporarily disrupted construction work on the project.

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A spokesman with the country government said the villagers were protesting the dumping of soil near a middle school by trucks from the water project's construction site, which they believed might contaminate the environment.

On Wednesday, over 300 villagers rallied against the detention of the six at the construction site and later clashed with police. Seven police officers and three local officials were injured.

The furious crowd also overturned five police vehicles, a spokesman with the county government said.

Villagers denied the government's version of the cause and said they were protesting because the promised compensation and replacement houses were facing delays after their lands had been acquired for the construction of an artificial lake.

Villagers also said the compensation offered by the government was well below the national average.

Witnesses said that the villagers they saw beating the police were mostly adolescents.

According to an unnamed villager, the youngsters, numbering about 50 and all below the age of 16, were hired by a local villager. They were most likely chosen because their age would spare them legal punishment.