Village sealed off as Chinese riot police fire on residents

ARMED police sealed off a village in southern China yesterday after violent clashes with residents that Amnesty International said marked the first time Chinese police had fired on protesters since 1989.

Residents said riot police had opened fire on Tuesday on protesters in the village of Dongzhou in Guangdong province as they moved in to quell demonstrations over lack of compensation for land lost to a wind power plant.

Estimates from residents and rights groups put the number of dead between two and 20.

China's Communist Party brooks no dissent but protests are becoming increasingly common, caused by disputes over land rights, corruption and a growing gap between rich and poor.

Many of the protests turn violent, but Amnesty said police opening fire marked a different turn.

"Police used guns on protesters the last time in 1989," said Chine Chan, the east Asia campaigner for Amnesty International, referring to China's military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

"There is lack of guidance from the central government about what kind of force is allowed to be used."

One Dongzhou resident said police were chasing away family members who tried to claim the bodies of those who were killed, describing the scene as "chaos" and pleading for help.

The dispute has centred on compensation for land taken to build a wind farm in the area, which lies on the east coast of the province along the South China Sea close to Hong Kong.

Residents said compensation allocated by the government was appropriated by officials.

Amnesty said protests had been going on since September, with villagers complaining of forced evictions, and some fishermen worried that the plant could affect their livelihood.

A government official said armed police had been sent into the area but that the violence was started by the villagers, who attacked police with pipe bombs.