One dies as dozens attack police in China village

Dozens of villagers in southwest China attacked police with knives, sticks and bricks in a clash that left at least one villager dead and 15 injured, a local official said.

The reason for the violence in the province of Yunnan was not immediately clear, he said, but a Hong Kong newspaper said police opened fire during a clash over land use, pitting villagers and employees of China's number-two gold miner against each other.

Beijing, terrified of social unrest ahead of the Olympics in August, has cracked down on recent protests over the arbitrary use of land by powerful local interests.

The Ming Pao newspaper cited unidentified sources as saying riot police in Malipo county were sent in on Sunday after almost 100 villagers clashed with Zijin Mining workers.

It said police shot two people dead.

It also quoted an unidentified police official as saying the shooting was in self-defence and just one person was certified dead in hospital.

Zijin's board secretary, Zheng Yuqiang, denied its workers were involved, saying a subsidiary, doing preparation work for a tungsten project, had not reported any operational problems.

"The confrontation had nothing to do with the company," Zheng said at the firm's headquarters in Fujian province.

The local official surnamed Liu said that more than 70 local residents had assaulted police.

"The incident is still under investigation," Liu said when asked about the cause.