HONG KONG, July 2 -- About 300 people were injured and 200 arrested after days of rioting between villagers and police over land compensation in central China's Sichuan Province, a human rights watchdog said Friday.
The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said some 5,000 villagers in Bajiaojin town in Deyang City, one of the areas hardest hit in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, blockaded the site of Dongfang Turbine Co. on Sunday, complaining that part of the financial compensation for land claimed to relocate the company has been pocketed by corrupt officials.
The Hong Kong-based center said each family is entitled to about 260,000 yuan ($38,300) in compensation for their land, but some have received only about 30,000 yuan so far.
About 1,000 riot police officers clashed with the protesters as four armored vehicles were deployed at the scene, the center said, adding a hospital confirmed treating more than 100 injured people.
Quoting villagers, the center said an old villager was killed and water trucks were seen washing away bloodstains on streets Monday after the clashes.
Some villagers continued to face the police at the company site as of Friday morning.
Photographs and video uploaded to the Internet were deleted immediately and police smashed mobile phones people used to videotape the clashes, the center said.
Messages left on mainland community websites confirmed the clashes, with people who claimed to work or live in Bajiaojin saying government workers have embezzled some 40 billion yuan earmarked for quake victims.
Thousands of people, who protested at the company since June 24, were confronted by police officers in full riot gear and that serious clashes happened Sunday night.
Zhou Quangang, vice chief of the Deyang news department, claimed the confrontation was ''small scale'' and only four people were injured.
''Two police officers and two civilians suffered minor injuries,'' Zhou told Kyodo News by telephone. ''No one died and a few people remained in custody. Some may be prosecuted, possibly.''
He said the five-day row began June 24, involving about 100 villagers ''who do not understand the truth of facts'' blockading a main highway exit.
''Police were deployed to handle the issue, but no armored vehicle or anything like that was at the scene. The matter was resolved Monday after municipal government leaders promised to pay villagers the financial compensation they demanded within 15 days in addition to other subsidies worth over 100 million yuan,'' Zhou said.
A provincial government spokesman said officials there were unaware of any conflict in Deyang.
Apart from government handouts, disaster-relief funds worth hundreds of billions yuan have been donated to the affected area from foreign sources, but the outside world has little say on funds allocation or fraud prevention.
==Kyodo